Is McCain bluffing?

[liberalpragmatist]

The McCain campaign is claiming they will not go to the debate Friday unless there is a bailout deal ready by then.

U. of Mississippi has said the debate is on. Obama says the debate is on. The Commission on Presidential Debates says the debate is on.

So if there's no deal on Friday and McCain doesn't show, Obama is going to go up there and take questions by himself.

Can McCain possibly be this stupid? Doing that would instantly turn a close race into an Obama blowout. Obama would basically have a two-hour press conference on prime-time network TV being carried by 40-50 million households. It would be an absolute disaster for the McCain campaign.

I admit that some of the twists and turns of this whole campaign have surprised me -- if it turns out that McCain's "going to Washington" rebounds in his favor, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong about this campaign. But it would shock me.

He has to be bluffing, right? If there's a debate going on on Friday, I can't imagine McCain won't be there.

But I forgot. He's a "maverick"... aka "crazy".

[BlooInBloo]

1. (shrug) I call.

[samuraiguppy]

2. who knows what he is thinking

he is stark raving mad a complete and total looney

[Me.]

3. It Would Be Financially Devastating To Ole Miss

They'd be down 5.5 mil. This is a huge deal for them, one they've been working on for months.

[DebbieCDC]

4. Obama called his bluff

Now Grampy can show his hand or fold. I'll bet he folds.

[tekisui]

5. He is bluffing. The ol' poker player is backed himself into a corner.

1-The Dems hold the cards. They control the speed of the bailout package.

2-Obama has drawn the line in the sand. He's going to be at the debate. It's on.

Either the bill will pass by Friday, and mcPOW will debate, or it won't and he will debate. Either way he looks stupid. Personally, I hope the Dems hold the bailout for a week or more, simply because it needs to be done right. Call his bluff, and make him look like a petulant child.

[msongs]

6. yeah but if MCCain caves and shows up we will all see what he is really like - "bring it on" nt

[dipsydoodle]

7. I'd say he's had his chips

[knowbody0]

8. back in the day, I bought a "Maverick"

the term for a wild horse who strays away from the herd.

He was a good friend of mine, but if I were a serious horse trader I would have shot him. He was stubborn, he spooked at the least little thing, and was afraid of everything. I could only cross the wooden bridge with him by going in reverse. Predictable only in his unpredictability.

It always bugs me to have John McCreepy call himself a maverick, but now when I think about it, he's alot like my real life maverick.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Musical chairs? - I guess there will be one empty seat.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. And knowing the rightwing media MSM, they'd still claim that McCain won the debate,

just like they claimed Shrubbie won 'em in 2000, even though Gore handed his fucking ass to him (factually-wise, anyway).

[progressiveforever]

11. He gets out of the debate the the Repugs will say he's being presidential.

I hope to holy hell it backfires.

[Gman]

12. They are in full blown panic over internal polls

This is a ploy to try to slow Obama. Get Obama to "suspend" his campaign and you slow his momentum. Fortunately it appears Obama is seeing clean through it.

[Chichiri]

13. I'm pretty sure there'll be a deal by Friday.

They're getting close, the Chimp is speaking tonight, etc.