John McCain announced today that he is suspending his campaign to return to the capital to focus on the financial crisis, CNN reports.
McCain also wants to delay the first presidential debate scheduled to air Friday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement saying the presidential debate should go on.
“It would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy,” the statement said. “We need leadership, not a campaign photo op.”
Aids to Obama told the New York Times that he was inclined to go ahead with the debate. “There are serious global financial issues at stake and the American people deserve to hear how the next president will handle them,” a senior Obama adviser said.
