Proceed With the Debate

John McCain may have the most noble of intentions by suggesting that his Friday night debate with Barack Obama be postponed.

The cynical side of my nature whispers to me that it's a political ploy, most likely desperation from a man who fears he may say or do something in the debate that leads to his defeat — and believes he has only a narrow margin for error.

President Bush is right when he says the bailout is vital to the economy. That much, it seems to me, is beyond debate. But the amount of the bailout could be debated endlessly.

It took decades of mismanagement by both parties to get us to this point. It's not going to be solved in the 40 days we have left until the election.

And I'm glad Bush agreed to meet with McCain and Obama, since one of those two men will be taking the torch in January. Until one has been elected, though, they both need to be in the loop.

But what else can McCain or Obama do? What can they achieve by postponing their debate, as McCain has suggested?

Nothing.

Neither man has been elected president. They have different views on economic policy, and no doubt each would take the country in a different direction. All they can contribute to the crisis is more finger pointing and divisive talk.

In the true spirit of partisanship, both sides seem anxious to paint the other as being culpable in the financial crisis.

McCain's proposal to suspend the campaign until a solution is found is "presidential," according to William Kristol in the Weekly Standard. Harold Meyerson calls it a "ploy" in the Washington Post. The truth is, both parties bear equal responsibility for the mess in which we find ourselves.

So if the candidates are going to debate each other anyway, why not go ahead and do it in the formalized setting upon which both sides agreed months ago?

Sure, the topic is different. Friday's debate is supposed to be about foreign affairs. And, while there are certainly voters who believe national security is the #1 issue in this campaign (my brother is one of them), the vast majority of voters are concerned about the economy.

The debate won't answer the questions the voters are asking right now. But it's better than the posturing the candidates would do after postponing the debate.

Proceed with the debate. Let the voters hear what the candidates have to say about foreign policy. Then, when the domestic debate is held, let's hear their views on gas prices and food prices and bad loans and the financial system.

Let's hear all we can about what they want to do after they take office.