John McCain has interjected his presidential campaign into the White House and Congressional discussions on the economy. Barack Obama thought he had an agreement with McCain to make a bipartisan speech on the matter, according to the Washington Post. It took nearly a day for McCain to return Obama’s phone call on the matter. Then McCain had already made up his mind on the matter.
From the Washington Post:
Later that evening (Tuesday, Sept. 23), Obama received a phone message from Sen. Tom Coburn, a conservative Oklahoma Republican he had worked with on previous bills. According to Obama, Coburn suggested that a joint statement outlining these shared principles might be helpful.
Obama raised the issue with a few of his aides, who concurred. At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Obama placed a call to McCain to run the idea by him.
“There are times for politics, and then there are times to rise above politics and do what’s right for the country. And this is one of those times,” Obama explained.
At about 2:30 p.m., Obama was leaving a rally at a minor league baseball stadium in nearby Dunedin, Fla., when McCain returned his call. In a conversation that lasted about five minutes, Obama said the two men discussed the joint statement idea and exchanged contact information so their campaign aides could follow up.
Obama said McCain also raised the idea of suspending his campaign and delaying the debate. Obama said he didn’t rule out either option, but told McCain he wanted to see how events unfolded and suggested the candidates first address the immediate priority of speaking with one voice before Bush’s address.
But by the time Obama returned to his hotel, about 20 minutes later, McCain had made his announcement (to suspend his campaign).
So much for John McCain working WITH his opponent. It’s his way or nothing.