So John McCain today issued a call for both major party candidates to stop campaigning, return to Washington to provide leadership for the economic crisis, and to not have the debate (or to postpone it to be when the VP debate would be — I’ve seen both reports). Obama has said he isn’t suspending campaigning, will do the debate, but will go to Washington to do whatever congressional leaders need him to do to help through this crisis.
I wonder if Sen. McCain has thought through the implications of what he is saying. He’s saying he wants to stop campaigning and return to Washington. Fine, that’s his choice. But why should he need Obama there, if Obama is really the junior senator with no power that McCain claims him to be? Shouldn’t Sen. McCain, with the power of bipartisanship he claims to have, be able to convince those in Congress of the correct approach? Shouldn’t he be able to find a solution without Obama’s help and argue why it is the right way? If he needs Obama there, isn’t he just admitting he’s ineffective in building bipartisan coalitions?
I think Obama proposed the right approach. The two of them should work together, whereever they may be, and come out with a joint proposal. They don’t need to be in Washington, nor to suspend campaigning to do that. The two of them don’t even need to be in Washington to convince other Representatives and Senators to support their approach. There’s this newfangled invention called the telephone, don’t cha know. The only time they need to be in Washington is to cast their vote on the final plan, once it is hammered out by congressional leaders. Anything else is political posturing. Let Congress do their job (which is why we pay them their salary). Folks should also remember that we are all paying McCain’s and Obama’s salary as well (they are sitting Senators).
You know, perhaps we should have a real test: Let Obama and McCain come up with a joint position. Then dispatch Biden and Palin to Congress. After all, one of them will be the future head of the Senate, and should know how to work Congress.
