Having wrapped his last mavericky impulse in bubble-wrap, John McCain has clearly decided he needs a new game-changer. From the campaign email:
Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.
I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.
We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.
Leaving aside the utter joke of Congress suddenly having the wisdom to understand this mess (much less solve it), is this really the John McCain of old? Has he suddenly re-found his principled, mavericky self?
Forgive me if I express a tad of cynicism. You don’t suppose this had anything to do with it, do you? (my emphasis)
More voters trust Obama to deal with the economy, and he currently has a big edge as the candidate who is more in tune with the economic problems Americans now face. He also has a double-digit advantage on handling the current problems on Wall Street, and as a result, there has been a rise in his overall support. The poll found that, among likely voters, Obama now leads McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent.
No? Well okay. Maybe it really is an outlier. How about this then:
From latest data:
Colorado: Obama 51, McCain 47
Michigan: Obama 51, McCain 46
Montana: McCain 54, Obama 43
Pennsylvania: Obama 53, McCain 44
West Virginia: McCain 50, Obama 46
Myself, I’m inclined to think he’s grabbing his Mavericky Hat for one last Big Show, before it’s unceremoniously dumped on his head by the ringmaster.
(Dang, I hate how cynical I’ve become sometimes…)
More Polimom cynicism on display here.
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Some reactions that differ wildly from mine:
James Joyner: “This is a brilliant bit of political jujitsu: a brazen political stunt that looks like bold leadership.”
Pat Edaburn: “Its about time we had political leaders who actually put principle before party. I applaud McCain for it and if Obama joins him I will applaud just as loudly.”
AllahPundit leads off with “Country first“… but also sees the Mavericky Hat trick: “I guess McCain figures he’s at enough of a disadvantage on the economy that if he doesn’t do something bold to cut into Obama’s lead, he’ll disintegrate by election day.”