Barack Obama has gotten some heat in the past for conducting himself as though he had already been elected to the office of president. Now, however, Republican presidential nominee John McCain is posturing as though his status as nominee somehow makes him especially capable of helping resolve the current financial crisis. But I ask: is he uniquely qualified to be able to help out with this financial crisis? I think not. Does he have some weighty, tie breaking responsibility - that he can step in to save the day where others fail to? Methinks not.
We have an existing president (and vice president) in office. We have a congress lead by senior senators and representatives who have chaired committees on matters specifically relevant to this crisis. We have a chairman of the Federal Reserve, we have a secretary of the Treasury, we have a chairman of the SEC, and we have a host of less famous yet equally hard working and very qualified career politicians who are knowledgeable experts in the field of finance and economics.
It seems - almost - as though John McCain is trying to dodge the hardest job of all for him right now: going up against Barack Obama in these final stages of the campaign for the presidency. Well, he can run, but he McCain't hide. Eventually he will have to face his foe and show us what he's truly made of.
It just seems awfully convenient to hide behind hurricanes, financial crises, and whatever the next impending disaster may be. Yes, it's a political ploy, designed to send the message "I'm stepping up to the plate in America's hour of need.", and it's designed to improve his chances in the race, and it's designed to distance the Republican Party from its recent history with the absenteeist presidency of George W. Bush, who - I might add - could have been more expected to be paying enough attention to avert the current financial crisis than, perhaps, the events of September 11th.
The American people should not be tricked by John McCain dodging his fight and hiding, instead, behind national disasters. Show your face, McCain, and prove yourself to the American people in these necessary upcoming debates.