No debate...no media support...

Many people have already organized their personal debate watch parties, as per Michelle Obama's suggestion, and news coverage has already begun in anticipation of what would be one of the most-watched political debates in campaign history. But the first presidential debate of this election, set to air this Friday, has suddenly become an even bigger news story, as, pretty close to the last minute, Senator John McCain threw the media a fast one and said... hey, let's put it off!

The Republican presidential candidate issued a statement today claiming that he intends to "suspend" his campaign in an effort to devote his time and energies to solving the current economic crisis. He is calling for bipartisan politics and, essentially, teamwork between the two candidates to develop effective legislation and solutions to the state of the economy.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me. I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem. We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and asking the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

While the tone of his speech was that of genuine concern for the welfare of our nation, his main point was hardly received so affectionately. According to an LA Times article, Senator Obama was in complete agreement that bipartisan politics are necessary to resolve the current crisis, however, he also responded that a political debate between the two candidates is needed "now more than ever."

Obama stated that suspending the debate was the last thing on his agenda:

And despite who suggested what when, the media is not too pleased. As reported on DrudgeReport.com, David Letterman held nothing back in voicing his opposition to the absurd notion of putting a campaign "on hold" for the sake of economic issues. Apparently, McCain was scheduled to appear on Letterman's show tonight, but cancelled stating that his campaign is now redirected to Washington DC. "You don't suspend your campaign," said Letterman, "This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil." And he then added, "What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

Both right- and left-wing journalists are eager for a one-on-one presidential debate. Can McCain afford to make any more enemies in the media? Already, this does not look good for the Republican candidate, as media outlets tend to be siding with Obama, quoting over and over again his response that the "next president needs to be able to deal with more than one thing at once." As for a media that has already been denied full access to its presidential candidates, it will be interesting to see the aftermath if the debate on foreign policy, scheduled for 9:00 pm in Oxford, Mississippi on Friday, does not occur.