The MAC is Back For Big Surprise—Round Two!

Just four weeks after McCain’s first big surprise—Governor Sarah Palin—the Mac is back with his second big surprise. John McCain will “suspend” his presidential campaign and return to Washington, D.C. to work on the bailout plan for Wall street.

Let’s be honest, we Americans love our coffee jolt and our mega-caffeinated energy drinks. We even love extreme home makeovers and over-the-top realty shows. We’re so over stimulated that it takes a big, sudden move to jolt us away from our Blackberries (not the edible kind) and get our attention. Somehow, I think John McCain is fully aware of our weakness—and he’s using it to his full advantage.

The last time the Mac jolted America out of its political humdrum—and serious lack of excitement within his own party—it worked. McCain has been enjoying unprecedented enthusiasm, participation and crowds since adding Palin to the ticket. “Yeah…that’s the ticket!”

Now that Governor Sarah Palin’s novelty has begun to wear off (and some would say wear thin), and McCain’s poll numbers are slipping, I suspect that the Mac began to ponder just what he needed to do “shake things up” again.

Yes, we’re in an economic crisis—but it just so happens to coincide with McCain’s political crisis. He’s in what might be the tightest and toughest presidential race in history—and he’s committed to winning.

The setup could not be more perfect. McCain gets to take the bold political/leadership position and say, “I’m suspending my campaign…” knowing full well that even if he postpones the debate, halts his ads and returns to Washington, the campaign—virtually carried out by swooning media attention—will run on. McCain may say he wants to step away from partisan politics—but being just 45 days away from the presidential election—even that statement is a political one.

The reality is, neither of the Senators sits on the Senate Banking Committee that has been holding hearings on the bailout. The most either could do is help corral votes. And honestly, Obama isn’t needed nearly as much as McCain is needed on the Republican side, to help sure up votes for some sort of bailout plan.Furthermore, if McCain is going to get involved in the bailout negotiations, he wants his “friend” Obama to join him so that Obama can share responsibility for the outcome of the bailout too. Thus, he challenged Obama to “suspend” his campaign as well.

But when McCain couldn’t get Obama to stop his campaign, he threw the ball to THE Big Mac—President George W. Bush, who then requested to see both campaigners on the Hill—kind of like the boss who summons two bickering employees to his office to put an end to petty squabbles.

Certainly, McCain could have easily traveled to Washington to rally his leaders and have an impact on the bailout negotiations without officially and publicly “suspending” his campaign. He could have just done what he needed to do. But McCain wanted to do more than make a move; he wanted to make a point.

The fact is, his point will likely pay off in the form of brownie points for good political strategy— a move that some are describing as a stunt, or political one-upmanship.

Whatever you call it, he’s done it again. McCain proves he’s not afraid to make bold moves that surprise everyone, cause some to cry “politics,” and causes others to applaud him for “doing the right thing.” The truth is Americans may be more interested in solving this immediate crisis than watching a presidential debate on television. At the same time, who’s to say the candidates cannot do both?

Senator Obama proposed that the two put out a joint statement (which they did put forth). But Senator McCain upped that move with an all-out political cease-fire in an attempt to take back the “Leadership” mantel that he threw off when he selected Governor Sarah Palina as his running mate.

Not a bad idea. Maybe Obama should have thought of it first. If he had, he would certainly be accused of not being a capable leader who can juggle more than one ball at a time. He’d be accused of trying to claim the spotlight as the junior “celebrity” Senator coming unnecessarily to the rescue. He’d most definitely be accused of trying to avoid having to go one-on-one with John McCain at a debate on foreign policy. Oh yes, if this had been Obama’s idea, he surely would be getting beat up for pulling such a self-aggrandizing stunt.

But this wasn’t Obama’s idea. It was McCain’s—the senior politician. And McCain on the other hand, is being cast as the true patriot who puts “country first”—the veteran super hero who flies into Washington D.C. to rescue America, and ALL the world, from sudden peril.

Whether on the big screen or network cable news, this is good stuff—and if you’re a political junky—you’ve gotta love it. Some have likened McCain’s move to a “Hail Mary.” But in Washington, D.C. it’s called “politics.” And McCain is one masterful politician.