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He'll be at the debate. This is a big win for Obama. McCain gambled big that he could delay the debate until after a deal was reached. Obama didn't waver. McCain folded. Spencer has the right take:
Let's recap. McCain kinda-but-doesn't-really suspend his campaign to make himself the indispensable man in the bailout agreement. He gets to Washington as an object of ridicule and the deal falls apart -- something that at least some people, admittedly Democrats, attribute to McCain's transparent stunt. Then, despite Harry Reid saying he's going to keep the Senate in session until there's a deal, McCain abruptly announces he's... going back to campaigning (not that he stopped!) and will attend the debates.John McCain: Leadership that doesn't know what the hell it's doing from one minute to the next. But tonight's debate is going to be an odd spectacle. McCain is basically cornered. He's not spent the past few days in intensive preparation. He's not at ease discussing the economy. He just lost the argument over whether to appear at the event in the first place. His only real chance to recapture control the evening is a ferocious and personal assault on Obama. This was always going to be a significant evening, but it's just become totally combustible.
