Presidential debate organizers say going ahead for Friday

[WoodysGirl]

23 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Organizers said Wednesday they were going ahead as planned with the first 2008 US presidential debate, despite Republican John McCain's call to postpone the event in the face of the Wall Street crisis.

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"We have been notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates that we are proceeding as scheduled," said the University of Mississippi, which was to host Friday's encounter between McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

"We are ready to host the debate, and we expect the debate to occur as planned," it said in a statement.

"At present, the University has received no notification of any change in the timing or venue of the debate."

The first of this election's three scheduled debates between the White House contenders is due to be held in Oxford, Mississippi on Friday evening.

The non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates takes charge of organizing the logistics of the debates, brokering agreement between the campaigns on their format, timing and subject matter.

McCain said he was suspending his campaign from Thursday and returning to Washington for deliberations in Congress on the US government's 700-billion-dollar financial rescue package.

There was no immediate response from the Obama campaign to the Republican's call to postpone Friday's debate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080924...JLXJ7Zm.hh24cA

[dacarmelking210]

[Sasquatch]

Dead man walking.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

Dead man walking.

Yeah and Obama is too dumb to realize it, whoever wins is going to get stuck with this 700 Billion dollar bailout it is in their best interest to be there and speak up on what needs to be done since it will be a big part of one of these men’s administration and both parties will pay attention to what their candidate is calling for. This has nothing to do with being scared or running away from anything McCain has been around long enough to hold his own with some freshman senator who has not even had 1 full term in office.

[masomenos]

Good, the debate should go on.

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by masomenos85

Good, the debate should go on.

why not wait a week, go get some real input/experience and firsthand knowledge of the topic, THEN debate it?

is that so wrong?

[ScipioCowboy]

Originally Posted by iceberg

why not wait a week, go get some real input/experience and firsthand knowledge of the topic, THEN debate it?

is that so wrong?

Because this postponement interferes with my television viewing!

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by ScipioCowboy

Because this postponement interferes with my television viewing!

but if the goal of the debate is to get what these politicians would do in a time of crisis, shouldn't we let them go manage this for a bit and come back with 1st hand info? knowledge? actual committments on paper?

wouldn't that make the debate a LOT more relevant?

[ScipioCowboy]

Originally Posted by iceberg

but if the goal of the debate is to get what these politicians would do in a time of crisis, shouldn't we let them go manage this for a bit and come back with 1st hand info? knowledge? actual committments on paper?

wouldn't that make the debate a LOT more relevant?

Relevance?

Who cares about relevance? This is drama, not reality. Right? I expect to be entertained, and I want my team - the Fightin' R's - to emerge victorious.[/sarcasm]

In all seriousness, I agree completely, Ice. You're absolutely right.

[ConcordCowboy]

As it should.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Originally Posted by iceberg

but if the goal of the debate is to get what these politicians would do in a time of crisis, shouldn't we let them go manage this for a bit and come back with 1st hand info? knowledge? actual committments on paper?

wouldn't that make the debate a LOT more relevant?

Or maybe it is again a sign of weakness and to one up someone.

The infamous HEY LOOK OVER THERE AT THAT SHINY OBJECT method we have seen so much of the last 8 years.

Heck I am waiting for an elevated terror alert minute now.

Boy there did not seem to be a dudley doright call to suspend the debates earlier this week or when all of this stuff started coming out. Nope...only after a week of gaffs by McCain and the polls showing he is sliding down and obama is taking a big lead in the economic area...now all of a sudden we gotta cancel it all and head to DC so we can sit in the crowd and shake our heads yes.

Congress has not concerned McCain much of late. I think he has missed a great deal of votes this year. Voting present is bad enough, not voting at all seems worse...but now...now we have to show up and make it all right.

It is so obvious why he is doing it, sadly I bet it was his campaign managers that is pulling his strings and personally I think they are screwing him and palin up. Some of his campaign people need fired but he wants this so bad he is willing to sell his integrity and deal with scum.

[masomenos]

Originally Posted by iceberg

why not wait a week, go get some real input/experience and firsthand knowledge of the topic, THEN debate it?

is that so wrong?

That's not so wrong, no, I wouldn't be upset if the debate was canceled. I do think that this is a good opportunity to see both men in the middle of a crisis, how they handle the pressure, how they address the audience. Having the debate won't have a significant impact on the outcome of the bailout or the economy, so I say carry on.

If it ends up getting canceled then I'll understand why, but I think there's also importance in having the candidates in front of the American public.

[ConcordCowboy]

Originally Posted by BrAinPaiNt

Or maybe it is again a sign of weakness and to one up someone.

The infamous HEY LOOK OVER THERE AT THAT SHINY OBJECT method we have seen so much of the last 8 years.

Heck I am waiting for an elevated terror alert minute now.

Boy there did not seem to be a dudley doright call to suspend the debates earlier this week or when all of this stuff started coming out. Nope...only after a week of gaffs by McCain and the polls showing he is sliding down and obama is taking a big lead in the economic area...now all of a sudden we gotta cancel it all and head to DC so we can sit in the crowd and shake our heads yes.

Congress has not concerned McCain much of late. I think he has missed a great deal of votes this year. Voting present is bad enough, not voting at all seems worse...but now...now we have to show up and make it all right.
[View Full Quote]
It is so obvious why he is doing it, sadly I bet it was his campaign managers that is pulling his strings and personally I think they are screwing him and palin up. Some of his campaign people need fired but he wants this so bad he is willing to sell his integrity and deal with scum.

Originally Posted by John McCain

"I'd rather lose my integrity, than lose this election."

[WoodysGirl]

Obama rejects McCain's call to delay debate

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago



NEW YORK - The economic crisis and raw politics threatened to derail the first presidential debate as John McCain challenged Barack Obama to delay the Friday forum and join forces to help Washington fix the financial mess. Obama rebuffed his GOP rival, saying the next president needs to "deal with more than one thing at once."

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The White House rivals maneuvered to claim the leadership role in resolving the economic turmoil that has overshadowed their campaign six weeks before Election Day. Obama said he would proceed with his debate preparations while consulting with bailout negotiators and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. McCain said he would stop all advertising, fundraising and other campaign events to return to Washington and work for a bipartisan solution.

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said at a news conference in Clearwater, Fla. "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."

But McCain said they must focus on a bipartisan solution to the nation's financial woes as the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout proposal seemed headed for defeat. If not, McCain said ominously, credit will dry up, people will no longer be able to buy homes, life savings will be at stake and businesses will not have enough money to pay workers.

"It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the administration's proposal," McCain said. "I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain's representative in debate negotiations, said McCain will not attend the debate "unless there is an agreement that would provide a solution" to the financial crisis. Graham, R-S.C., told The Associated Press that the agreement would have to be publicly endorsed by Obama, McCain, the White House and congressional leaders, but not necessarily given final passage by the House and Senate.

Asked whether the debate could go forward if McCain doesn't show, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs replied, "My sense is there's going to be a stage, a moderator, an audience and at least one presidential candidate."

Their competing positions came after the two senators spoke privately, each trying to portray himself as the bipartisan leader in a time of crisis.

McCain beat Obama to the punch with the first public statement. He said he had spoken to President Bush and asked him to convene a leadership meeting in Washington that would include him and Obama.

Even as McCain said he was putting the good of the country ahead of politics, his surprise announcement was clearly political. It was an attempt to try to outmaneuver Obama on an issue in which he's trailing, the economy, as the Democrat gains in polls. He quickly went before TV cameras minutes after speaking with Obama and before the two campaigns had hammered out a joint statement expressing that Congress should act urgently on the bailout.

And while McCain's campaign said he would "suspend" his campaign, it simply will move to Washington knowing the spotlight will remain on him no matter where he is.

Obama, too, made a political calculation by rejecting McCain's challenge while trying to still appear on top of the problem. Obama repeatedly stressed at his news conference that he called McCain first to propose that they issue a joint statement in support of a package to help fix the economy as soon as possible. He said McCain called back several hours later, as Obama was leaving a rally in Florida, and agreed to the idea of a statement but also said he wanted to postpone the debate and hold joint meetings in Washington.

Obama said he suggested they first issue a joint statement showing bipartisanship.

"When I got back to the hotel, he had gone on television to announce what he was going to do," Obama said.

McCain said he would return to Washington after addressing former President Clinton's Global Initiative session in New York Thursday. He canceled his planned appearance Wednesday on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" program and a meeting with the prime minister of India.

McCain called Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to propose that joint meetings with Obama and congressional leadership be held quickly, according to leadership aides. Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Reid responded by reading McCain his public statement, in which he said it would not be helpful to have the candidates come back during negotiations and inject presidential politics.

The Commission on Presidential Debates and the University of Mississippi, the site of the forum, said they were moving forward with plans for the debate.

McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was canceling her limited campaign events. Palin said in an interview with CBS Evening News Wednesday that the country could be headed for another Great Depression if Congress doesn't reach a solution.

McCain adviser Steve Schmidt would not say how long the suspension would last but indicated it would go through the weekend, in order to reach agreement on a deal before the markets open on Monday.

McCain has struggled with how to handle the financial situation, which he might escape with modest political damage if he and Obama could reach some type of accord on the matter.

Scores of congressional Republicans have hinted this week they may oppose the proposed $700 billion bailout even though it is Bush's priority. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pointedly suggested that Democratic lawmakers could not be expected to back it if McCain did not publicly do so.

That leaves McCain with two unpalatable choices. He can oppose a major Republican initiative that the administration says is essential to preventing a full-blown recession, and risk heavy blame if the prediction comes true. Or he can vote for an extraordinarily costly bailout, which many Americans seem to resent, just when polls show him falling farther behind Obama.

Several GOP lawmakers and strategists said they see no way that McCain can oppose the main elements of the bailout plan and present himself as a bold leader. He must say, "we need to get this done for the future of our country," said John Feehery, a former aide to top Republican lawmakers. "Country first," Feehery said, noting McCain's campaign slogan.

But McCain might reap few political rewards for such a move.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said he has not found any Republican colleagues who say the proposed bailout "is popular in their district."

Of course, Obama also risks angry voter reactions if he supports the bailout plan. But he could frame his stand as bipartisan statesmanship, whereas McCain's vote could be spun as another example of his siding with Bush, a major impediment to his campaign.

___

Associated Press Writers Nedra Pickler, Charles Babington and Liz Sidoti in Washington and Christopher Wills in Clearwater, Fla., contributed to this report.

[ConcordCowboy]

Originally Posted by WoodysGirl

NEW YORK - The economic crisis and raw politics threatened to derail the first presidential debate as John McCain challenged Barack Obama to delay the Friday forum and join forces to help Washington fix the financial mess. Obama rebuffed his GOP rival, saying the next president needs to "deal with more than one thing at once."

What a novel idea.