Opinion: Debate commission says McCain-Obama faceoff still on
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Never mind all of today’s hoopla -- Friday’s first presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama is full-steam ahead.
Per the just-released statement by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which organizes the meetings between nominees:
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is moving forward with its plan for the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. this Friday, September 26. The plans for this forum have been underway for more than a year and a half. The CPD’s mission is to provide a forum in which the American public has an opportunity to hear the leading candidates for the president of the United States debate the critical issues facing the nation. We believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled.
Earlier today, McCainannounced that he is halting his campaign because of the nation’s economic turmoil and the fragility of the proposed financial firm bailout proposal, and called for the debate to be postponed. Obama called for it to go on. Then politicians in both camps weighed in, with -- surprise, surprise -- Newt Gingrich and Arnold Schwarzenegger backing McCain’s plan, and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid supporting Obama’s position. Who says politics isn’t predictable?
-- Seema Mehta