The Other Side

The tone of this article by Dan Balz at the Washington Post is amazing. The article does a relatively good job of presenting the opinions and views of both Democrats and Republicans, but there are a number of things that bother me. Does anyone really believe that the next President of the United States, be it Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama, is not needed in Washington right now to work out a response to the financial problems facing this country, especially since both candidates happen to be Senators with direct input regarding any bill proposed and because both are supposed to be the "leaders" of their respective parties? And why is Sen. McCain's decision an indication of being selfless or reckless, while Sen. Obama's reaction is clearly intended to "show calm" in a crisis? Perhaps most importantly, is there anyone who thinks a presidential candidate debate is more important than the looming financial crisis? I can only speak for myself, but it is hard to imagine someone being more worried about a possible debate as compared to a financial crisis, which is going to affect every American in one way or another even if it is averted today. On a lesser note, Republicans (anonymously) critical of Sen. McCain's decision are mentioned, but there are not any Democrats critical of Sen. Obama's reaction? Perhaps Mr. Balz missed Pres. Clinton defending Sen. McCain's request to postpone the debate. I do not get the opportunity to say this very often, so I will now. I like the fact that Pres. Clinton is not trying to find any reason possible to criticize Sen. McCain. Good job Pres. Clinton, at least in this respect.