McCain's Costly Calculated Risk

With McCain announcing the suspension of his campaign and his return to Washington to focus on the impending economic crisis, he has taken a calculated risk that may or may not backfire depending on how it appeals to the American public.

Here are my thoughts: By John McCain being the one to announce this move (not Senator Obama) he took the offensive and placed Barack Obama on the defensive. You see, Obama has to respond to McCain's move and here are his options:

1. He can go along with McCain's plan and suspend his campaign as well until a plan passes Congress that is acceptable to the lawmakers and good for the country (hopefully). This makes Obama look like a follower and not a leader as he was not the one to suggest this strategy.

2. He can criticize McCain for bailing on the debate and mock him for not being able to handle both the campaign's responsibilities and his job as a senator of this great country. This is risky for Obama as this shows arrogance on his part and could show his green-ness when it comes to his experience in the Senate. After-all, this is similar to the situation in which President Bush was in when he stayed to read with the children instead of getting out of the classroom and in the loop of what was going on during the September eleventh attacks. He has been criticized ever since by the Democrats for this move (the same move the Obama campaign is advocating now.

Either way, John McCain has put Obama on the defensive and caused him to have to respond to the move Senator McCain is making. There may be another option he or his campaign staff are working on but regardless, he will have to make that move as a response to McCain which puts him in a reactionary role.

It doesn't sit well with me that these men were hired to do a job (the campaign is not one of them) and currently this nation is at a crossroads that could wind up costing tax-payer's billions of dollars and only one is willing to go back to Washington and do what he was hired to do. Did they both agree to the debate? Yes. However, they both were sworn in to fight for the good of this country as Senators and they both have a responsibility to lead in this regard. I say forget the debate as they are about as meaningless as they can be (that is another topic for another time). For one to say that that both should be doable if they have good staff around them and that they would go back if they were needed... well, again, that smells of the move Bush made during the Sept. 11th attacks and has been criticized for. Plus, it appears to show that Obama does not take seriously the economic issue that is gripping the nation and will affect every American in some way.

So while McCain is back in Washington working both sides of the aisles to help produce a plan that will stave off a disaster for tax-payers across our nation, Obama is out campaigning. I don't know about you, but this speaks volumes to me. Your thoughts?