McCain to Suspend Campaign over Economic Crisis…

Sen. John McCain has announced the temporary suspension of his campaign to go back to Washington and work with the Senate on the current economic crisis facing the country.

John McCain’s Remarks on the Economic Crisis
New York, NY
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must
pass legislation to address this crisis. 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. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will
be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.

Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities
and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama
has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of
economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we
should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear
their perspective.

It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the
Administration’s proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will
pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after
speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and
informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

(If you are unable to see the embedded video above, please click here.)

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from
both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for
both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet
until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama
campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s
debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus
on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and
homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to
achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.

Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of
crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country
lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from
addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove
that Washington is once again capable of leading this country. 

This is a great political move by McCain because it not only shows that he’s living up to his “Country First” motto, but that he’s also putting Sen. Barack Obama on the spot.  Obama either has to follow suit–something the McCain campaign can capitalize on by saying “he had to be challenged to come back to Washington to do his job”–or Obama says “no” and the McCain campaign can say “he couldn’t be bothered to come back and help the American people.”