Scared to Debate?

John McCain has proposed "suspending" the campaign and cancelling Friday's scheduled debate to "concentrate on the economy."

Problem is, he's spent almost no time doing his job as a Senator since the campaign started.

Chris Dodd, on the Rachel Maddow Show, said he hadn't seen "hide nor hair" of John McCain while Congress has been busy trying to agree on a bailout plan to the tune of some $700 billion dollars. McCain has spent the least amount of time in the Senate, a job he is still collecting a taxpayer-footed paycheck for, of anyone outside of Tim Johnson, who nearly died last year.

Among the things McCain did not find important enough to suspend his campaigning for: the Webb GI bill, which was the biggest chunk of "Support the Troops" legislation to make it through Congress this year. Also, the economic stimulus package, which fell one vote short of the 60 votes necessary to stop debate.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who were still locked in a primary battle, both showed up to vote for the bill. McCain, who had clinched his nomination, was busy raising funds, apparently.

Erik Loomis at Alterdestiny points out that the President is expected to be able to handle many things at once. If he can't handle showing up to vote in the Senate at the same time as attending fundraisers, he should've quit his job months ago. Or given up his campaign. The fact that he can't doesn't give the idea that he can handle being the president. It offers the exact opposite view.

Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter held a debate in the midst of the Iran hostage crisis. One of them was a sitting president. George W. Bush debated John Kerry while he was a sitting wartime president trying to convince us we were in immediate danger of a terrorist attack.

Also, as recently as yesterday, McCain had not yet read the administration's bailout proposal.

I have. You can too. It's right here. See? That wasn't hard.

I bet you've even got an opinion on it now! And you probably have a full-time job too. Look at that.

However, McCain apparently has campaign talking points about why he's suspending his campaign. So that's all good, then.

Desperation is the word lots of pundits are using here. But I've got a better word: hypocrisy.

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