Dumb it down more, please?

Clocking in at a whopping 1:39, including random pauses and condescending smirks:

Good morning.

My administration continues to work with the Congress on a rescue plan.

And we need a rescue plan. This is hard work; our proposal is a big proposal, and the reason it’s big and substantial is because we’ve got a big problem. We also need to move quickly. Now, any time you have a plan this big that is moving this quickly that requires legislative approval it creates challenges. Members want to be heard, they want to be able to express their opinions, and they should be allowed to express their opinions. There are disagreements over aspects of the resucue plan but there is no disagreement that something substantial must be done.

The legislative process is sometimes not very pretty, but we are going to get a package passed. We will rise to the occasion. Republicans and Democrats will come together and pass a substantial rescue plan.

Thank you very much.

IM IN UR MARKETZ, TAKIN UR FUNDS WITH NO OVERSIGHT

In yet another pathetic gambit by the McCain camp, they wish to suspend the first presidential debate with Barack Obama.

Now, this debate has been a long time coming, ever since McCain alleged that the “tone of this whole campaign would have been very different if Senator Obama had accepted my request for us to appear in town hall meetings all across America.”

Town hall meetings are a way for GOP candidates to spout the mindless drivel that hits all the emotional centers of people who live their lives according to knee-jerk reactions, shutting down any and all logic. I think McCain knows that in a serious debate, Obama would tear him limb from limb without breaking a sweat.

McCain and Obama both already agreed to put politics aside for a moment and issued a joint statement about the economy:

Now is a time to come together - Democrats and Republicans - in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail. This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.

With them both being senators, I wholeheartedly agree they should focus on the economy, but only to the extent that they are needed. This raises the question: who the hell do you think you are, McCain? You’re one senator. Your bowing out of one debate on a Friday night is not going to save this country from economic disaster; you’re not even proposing legislation.

He says he will “suspend [his] campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative,” even though he’s uh, not the President. He’s not the House leader, nor is he the President of the Senate.

(On an aside, he also said, “I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me,” which is almost complete bullshit.)

Neither McCain or Obama will singlehandedly save this country, and suggesting that refocusing their efforts elsewhere is disingenuous, and smacks of the shallow sort of thinking that got us into this mess in the first place.

Update while this post was sitting the draft queue: According to the AP, the Senate has reached an agreement only hours before Obama and McCain were scheduled to meet with President Bush on this very issue. Since he’s no longer pivotal to this agreement, maybe McCain can show some balls and move forward with the debate? If not, Obama says he’ll go forward with it anyway and answer questions from the moderator himself.

Talk about having somebody by the balls.