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A Risky Stunt

Given the way the race has been going lately, if I were John McCain I'd want to suspend the campaign too.

DC insiders will likely see John McCain's call to stop campaigning and postpone Friday's debate as a stunt designed to arrest his recent slide in the polls and turn the attention of the press away from his campaign's lobbyist ties.

And it is.

The more important question is how the larger public will react.

The economic crisis has completely dominated the news over the last week. In this climate a debate on foreign policy seemed oddly incongruent even before Senator McCain's move to postpone it.

And, as my colleague in the Clinton campaign, Phil Singer, reminds us, the two candidates are Senators and Congress does have a role to play here.

But make no mistake: there is a reason that the guy behind in the polls did this. Calling for a summit is a risky stunt, motivated by declining poll numbers and a need to shake up the race.

 Howard Wolfson also blogs at Gotham Acme.Com.