McCain Tries to Change Subject, But Can’t

Some campaigns are fueled by big ideas. Not John McCain’s. His campaign is fueled by one gimmick after another. Last summer, it was the gas-tax holiday. At the convention, it was Sarah Palin.

And now, McCain’s latest gimmick: suspending his campaign, and Friday night’s debate, in order to go back to Washington and deal with the country’s financial crisis.

Who’s McCain think he’s kidding? We all know why he did this. Because, after floundering around for 10 days on the economy, he’s sinking in the polls. Because he’s getting killed by news of campaign manager Rick Davis’s taking $2 million from Freddie Mac. And because he’s desperately trying to change the subject. What a joke.

Barack Obama was smart to see right through this proposal and reject it immediately. In just four months, as Obama pointed out, one of these two candidates is going to inherit this mess and have to fix it. The American people deserve to hear the ideas of both candidates now — not have them both disappear back into Washington’s party caucuses, where neither one would have a leadership position.

And, besides, the last thing Congress needs now is to turn a serious debate on how to fix Wall Street into 40 days of jockeying between presidential candidates.

Certainly, McCain must understand that a president has to juggle a lot of responsibilities. He has to be able to walk and chew gum, even prepare for a debate and campaign, at the same time.

If John McCain can’t handle both, he should not just suspend his campaign. He should end his campaign, cede the election to Barack Obama — and admit he’s just not up to the job.

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