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Just when we thought we had enough shocks that prove Naomi Klein prescient in her brilliant tome, The Shock Doctrine, John McCain has come out with a shock of his own - that he will suspend his campaign, and call for a postponement of Friday's debate, because of the looming economic crisis. (Of course, his fall in the polls has nothing to do with it.)
This stunt has so many levels, it's hard to keep up. First, of course, he's again (as he did with his choice of Sarah Palin) trying to use the element of surprise to throw his opponent off guard.
But it's also a continuation of the media blackout of Sarah Plain - effectively shutting down one of the few chances that voters will have to be able to gather good information about the candidates, in order to make an informed choice.
But the stunt is one more thing: by insisting that the issue is "resolved" before campaigning resumes, he's holding his press availability over the American people's heads, lest they take time to examine the Bush Administration's outrageous bailout plan. He's been trying to convince us that he's a departure from the Bush Administration. He's just become their biggest ally.
