The Crisis Double-Standard

Before that fateful decision, he and then-candidate Barack Obama (also a member of the U.S. Senate) issued a joint statement:

 "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."

That was the end of cooperation between the two candidates. When McCain suspended his fundraising and campaign appearances, he also suggested that the looming presidential debate be put off so that the wheels of government could turn unimpeded by the gravitational forces of presidential politics.