It looks like John McCain is playing hardball and will not appear at Friday’s debate in Oxford, MS, even if Barack Obama does show up.
Could Barack Obama really debate an empty chair? Is there ANY precedent for this sort of thing? Sure, in the early days of the primary all but a few minor GOP candidates showed up to a black issues debate. But a Presidential debate, with 100 million people ready to tune in?
I think McCain has a solution, and if I may be so bold, I’d like to offer up the services of a ventriloquist to play the part of John McCain. Yes, we can have a ventriloquist do John McCain’s responses to questions about Iran, Georgia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Barack Obama can do his own.
Yes, imagine Obama on one side:
And “McCain” on the other:
Imagine the fun for the whole family as Barack Obama debates a puppet pretending to be John McCain.
“Sorry, but the real John McCain is off in Washington saving America from the Great Depression. So I’m here to carry on the foreign policy debate.”
It would be brilliant! What would Obama do? How do you argue with a puppet? Maybe Joe Gandelman, esteemed proprietor of the Moderate Voice could “be” John McCain.
If you have any other great ideas for the debate leave them in comments.