Bad Move, John. Very Bad.

UPDATE: It turns out this not the first time John McCain has pulled such a stunt.

You're in the tenth round of a fight for the heavyweight championship of the world and you suddenly shout, "Would it be OK if we took a break and picked up again next Tuesday? I've got something really, really important I have to tend to."

And this move is supposed to earn the respect of the crowd?

On what possible rationale does John McCain base this stunt? Does he really expect people to believe that this financial crisis cannot be resolved without his vast financial expertise? Does he think people will see this dash for cover as the mark of a real leader?

I don't know what he thinks. But I do know this much:

1) He's got a presidential debate scheduled for Friday. Asking to postpone it does not make him look especially brave. It does make him look either unprepared, desperate, or just scared. His stated reasoning: "I know when a crisis calls for all hands on deck..." Well, which is he? A deck hand or the captain of the ship?

2) The latest Times-Bloomberg polls show some interesting things. Things like Obama opening up a small lead in the overall contest. Things like the blush coming off the Palin rose, with more people thinking she is unqualified than think she is qualified. Things like people preferring Obama's ideas for the economy over McCain's by 46% to 32%. Things like people thinking Obama more likely than McCain to affect substantial changes in Washington by a 2 to 1 margin.

3) Obama weighs in thusly: "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess. It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once." To that I say, AMEN. I want to see these guys go head to head so I can make a better choice in the polling booth.

4) Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, had this to say about the prospect of the candidates returning to Washington to dive into the financial mess: "... it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation's economy." I am no Harry Reid fan, but this time, he's got a valid point.

5) Suddenly, Bush invites both candidates to the White House for a meeting on the financial crisis. AT McCAIN's REQUEST. How wonderfully convenient.

If they gave out Academy Awards for Political Theater, you have to give the nod to McCain this year. First, choosing Palin as his running mate to pander to female voters and the sensational press. Now this little melodrama that may soon become a farce before fully blooming as self-satire.

Is this really the kind of man you want as President of the United States?