Let debate happen: America wants to see, hear the candidates themselves (Miami Herald)

Sen. John McCain wants to postpone the presidential debate scheduled for Friday evening in Oxford, Miss., because, he says, the economic crisis facing the country must take precedence over politics. That's a bad call.

With the election only 40 days away, this first debate between Sens. McCain and Barack Obama has been much anticipated and promises to be a defining moment in the presidential campaign. The radio and television audiences are predicted to exceed the 40 million who tuned in for the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer. Thursday night Sen. McCain seemed to be reconsidering. It would be a mistake not to go ...

Americans need to see and hear for themselves how each man would handle the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, what ideas they have for dealing with Iran and Russia, how they would tackle the Middle East conundrum, what their Latin America policies entail. Although the theme of Friday night's debate is foreign policy, a discussion of the candidates' approach to solving the financial crisis surely will be explored.

This is no time for political stunts. By calling a halt to his campaign and flying to Washington, Sen. McCain hopes to project himself as an involved leader. President Bush invited both candidates to Thursday's White House meeting on the financial crisis. If this helps to come up with a solution, fine, but the best way for Sens. McCain and Obama to tell America how they would lead the country out of this mess is for them to engage in a nationally televised debate.

http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/702210.html

It all sounds so reasonable,coming from the Herald down there. It actually sounds like they are on our side. Don't be fooled though, The Herald of the sixty's was a progressive paper, covering the southern hemisphere,with real substantive news. Now it mostly reflects the mostly right leaning Cuban population. If some of them can be converted, Fla. will be a landslide state.

you may be right to suggest that this is a gambit of some sort. Still, it may provide some insight into what constitutes currently "allowable" discourse and so may say something useful about the political climate