“We must pass legislation to address this crisis,” he said. “If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees.”

The reaction of the media has been largely irritation at the fact that he might be jeopardizing the Oxford, Mississippi debate, which has been planned for months.

The American people, they claim, have a right to see the candidates debate. They need to hear these men's positions on the issues, how they think, what they believe.

Really, MSM? Really? Is that the best you can do?

John McCain commits potential political suicide, putting not just his future, but Sarah Palin's as well, on the line in order to do his job as a Senator, because it's the right thing to do--and the media's in a snit because it might prevent America from finding out his views on foreign policy? Or from learning what Barack Obama thinks?

If the situation weren't so serious, it would be comical. McCain, who did everything but chase Obama down with a shepherd's crook attempting to corral him into ten or more town-hall meetings, is now portrayed as a man who is "afraid" of the media, or "unprepared" to have a debate on foreign policy. Obama, who has, in all probability, been in more debates and told us more about what he thinks than the last three sets of presidential candidates combined (does no one remember the very very frequent Democratic debates that kicked off this season in the first place?) is now suddenly someone the American people have somehow become unfamiliar with.

Unless both men are about to reverse their excruciatingly well-known positions on crucial issues of foreign policy, the upcoming debate is an exercise in drama, not a vital channel of previously unknown information. The debates are not sacred, and the economy is in a serious crisis, which will become a catastrophic event if Friday morning dawns on Wall Street without an answer to satisfy world markets.

McCain, after meeting with a number of economic advisers and lawmakers, and speaking to the main players in the drama playing out on Capitol Hill, surmised two things that galvanized this afternoon's action: this bill might not pass--and something has to.

McCain could have continued campaigning while the economy melted away, heading to Mississippi to a foreign policy debate the evening after what had the potential to be the single worst day in the history of the American market. Instead, he chose to risk missing the debate in order to be sure he could be in Washington to be in the Senate to debate and vote on a bill that could redefine the economic world for the next president.

Obama, on the other hand, opened his press conference by oddly trying to take credit for being the initiator of the day's events, then intimated that McCain had never told him of his plans, then announced that he had no intention of missing the debate.

As for the $700 billion bailout bill that has the rest of the nation on pins and Prozac? Obama said he was in constant touch with the major players, and was, essentially, at their disposal. He'll be there if he can be helpful. He responded to McCain's request by implying that the issue did not deserve his total attention:

Obama responded by saying that such disruptive measures were unnecessary.

“Presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time,” Sen. Obama said. “It’s not necessary for us to think that we can only do one thing and suspend everything else.” He said that he and McCain have large campaign planes that can get them out of Mississippi and back to Washington quickly.

Way to lead, there, Senator.

Is this a man of the party that practically accused President Bush of treason for not speeding out of a children's classroom screaming "The Sky is Falling!" on 9/11? Or the same man that canceled his plans to appear on Saturday Night Live because of a hurricane that was nowhere near him?

Perhaps he does not know that, in October of 1962, when told the Russians had put missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy cut short his trip to the World's Fair in Seattle and spent the next two days closeted with advisors, claiming he had a cold.

I guess he didn't know how to multi-task.

As for how "quickly" either could return to Washington, Obama, I suppose, should be cut some slack, having spent so little time actually in the Senate. Perhaps he is unaware of the way procedures and rules are invoked or suspended when the Senate is at work. A vote can be called for as little as fifteen minutes--hardly time for the Senator to hop a plane to DC and get back in time to vote. Not to mention the fact that the only way to have any input when it gets to the floor is to physically be in the Chamber.

All of which must lead to the conclusion that Obama doesn't think the people of Illinois deserve his half of their vote on whether or not to disburse $700 billion of the taxpayers' money, or specifically for what.

It is difficult to imagine a moment in which the job of Senator could be more important. The people of Illinois, Arizona, and Delaware are paying Obama, McCain, and Biden more than three times the national average salary to be Senators. So far, the people of Illinois have not gotten much for their dollar out of Barack Obama. It does not seem too much to ask that he show up to the body of which they are all a part, to at least have a say in the writing of a $700 billion check.

Of course, there can be little doubt that, if the bill is not finished by Friday night and Obama decides to come to the "debate," anyway, the mainstream media will cover him with all the adoration they have showered upon him throughout the campaign. McCain will be portrayed as not caring what the American people think, or out-of-touch with the average American desperate to see these men on stage together. Perhaps Jim Lehrer will ask Obama how he's related to Brad Pitt, and reporters all over the nation will drool at the prospect of someday actually meeting the Great Man.

By suspending his campaign (all events, fund-raising, and ads), McCain is risking a lot. But, as he always has, McCain has weighed the loss of his personal fortunes against the needs of the nation, and there is no contest.

Country first.