Opinions

Thursday, Sep. 25, 2008

Don't delay debate

If the votes of Barack Obama and John McCain are the tipping point in the passage of a Senate bailout bill for Wall Street, that would justify delaying Friday night's scheduled debate between the two presidential candidates.

But the importance of that debate should not be discounted. The outcome of the presidential election may hinge on how the candidates perform in this and the other two presidential debates.

McCain announced Wednesday that he plans to suspend all campaigning so that he can return to Washington and work on the bailout. He also is asking that Friday's kickoff debate be delayed until after the vote on the bailout.

The discussion between the Obama and McCain camps actually was initiated by Obama. According to Obama spokesman Bill Burton, Obama called McCain at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to ask if he would "join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal."

McCain called Obama back that afternoon and agreed to issue a joint statement. Later, however, McCain upped the ante by calling for a postponement of the debate. McCain also urged President Bush to convene a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties -- including McCain and Obama -- to form a bipartisan bailout plan.

On Wednesday afternoon, Obama said the debate should be held. Officials with the University of Mississippi, site of the debate, said they had been notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates that the debate would be held as scheduled, at 9 p.m. Friday.

McCain's proposal also got the cold shoulder from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who issued a statement thanking McCain for his concern but asking him and Obama not to inject themselves into the bailout process.

"It would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation's economy," Reid said. "If that changes, we will call upon them. We need leadership; not a campaign photo op. If there were ever a time for both candidates to hold a debate before the American people about this serious challenge, it is now."

We think Reid is right on both counts: Having the two candidates in the center of the bailout process would be a distraction, and the debate is vitally important to helping voters make an informed decision on Nov. 4.

Leaders of both parties in the Senate can keep the candidates apprised on the progress of the bailout effort. In the unlikely scenario that their two votes are needed to sway the outcome, they could delay the debate.

Otherwise, the two candidates should stay in Mississippi. We'd rather hear, in detail, how Obama and McCain plan to lead the country at the scheduled debate than watch them trying to look presidential on the Senate floor.