Pre-Debate Read

This guy is right on. Here's the whole article...

Sell! Sell! McCain is tanking!
By Dan Payne
September 26, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN'S move to suspend his campaign and TV spots and to dodge tonight's debate is a panic attack, not cagey tactics. Place your "sell" order now. His poll numbers are tanking, fewer and fewer Americans believe Sarah Palin is qualified, and his campaign manager has been exposed as a well-paid lobbyist for bankrupt Freddie Mac.


From strong to Depression in 10 days. Ten days ago McCain said the economy was fundamentally strong. Now he's decided it's so fundamentally weak he's needed in Washington ASAP. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin told Katie Couric on CBS if a bailout doesn't pass, "We're going to find ourselves in another Great Depression." How's that for a little reassurance?

For whom the polls fell. What changed about the financial bailout that prompted this bizarre behavior? McCain's poll numbers. They've been dropping like last week's Dow. In the key state of Pennsylvania, Obama now leads by 9. In Wisconsin, it's +7, Colorado +4, Michigan +4, Minnesota +2, and Virginia +3. Even in Florida it's +2.

The Washington Post/ABC poll shows Obama now leads the national horserace by 9 points, a turnaround of 11 points in two weeks. The poll found 79 percent of the American people are very worried about the national economy, and 60 percent are worried about their own finances. Obama is beating McCain by 14 points in understanding people's economic problems.

Democrats calling his bluff. Democrats have told the White House they will not vote for a bailout package unless it's one John McCain supports. They don't want to give him a chance to say no and grandstand as a "maverick" using the rejection as a chance to prove his independence from Bush and Wall Street.

Palin is failin'. In a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 49 percent say Palin is unqualified to be president if needed. By comparison, 64 percent say Joe Biden is qualified.

Palin on Couric. The entire time I'm watching Palin "answer" questions from Katie Couric, I'm thinking, what an airhead. We're in two wars, our financial markets are in collapse, unemployment is rising, global warming is getting worse, and this is who might become president?

Palin loves droppin' them g's. Talkin', takin', gettin', I'm thinkin' we got a grownup valley girl here runnin' for vice president.

Oh, Ricky. Rick Davis is McCain's campaign manager. He is also a highly paid lobbyist for Freddie Mac, the bailed-out mortgage giant. Davis received more than a quarter of a million dollars this year from Freddie Mac -- a firm that you and I as taxpayers now own. Asked when he last worked for Freddie, Davis lied and said it was three years ago. He's a poison pill for McCain.

Multitasking is part of the job. As Obama put it, a president has to do more than one thing at a time. He said we both have our own big jets that can fly us from D.C. to Mississippi in time for the debate.

The hothead. This McCain stunt is consistent with his being a notorious hothead that blows up and demeans anyone who displeases him. Asked by a high school student several months ago if he was too old to be president, he replied, "Thanks for the question, you little jerk."

McCain publicly cursed former GOP Senator Pete Domenici. Last year he blasted Senator John Cornyn over the budget. Cornyn's reply reveals how effective McCain will be with his colleagues on the bailout. "I've been sitting in here for all these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line." McCain struck back with an f-bomb.

Et tu, Cindy? Another semi-famous blowup came during his 2000 campaign when his wife, Cindy, joked about his losing his hair. (For his colorfully gross reply, Google "McCain top ten blowups.")

Respect the people's wishes. A quickie poll done by SurveyUSA shows that 90 percent of Americans want the debate to take place as scheduled.

Obama as president. In his press conference in response to McCain's panic attack, Obama was calm, cool, and collected. If the whole nation had been watching, people would have seen what President Obama would be like. They may get that chance tonight.