Stunning Turnaround: John McCain to Attend Debate

Wow, who could have predicted that John McCain would attend tonight’s debate? I guess Captain America’s job is done in Washington, making him available to participate in a debate he’d previously agreed to, then backed out of.  From CNN:

McCain said earlier this week he would not attend the debate if an agreement had not been reached on a $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street.

The campaign said the Republican presidential nominee believed that enough progress had been made for him to travel to Mississippi to participate in the debate, set for 9 p.m. ET at the University of Mississippi campus.

Sure, no deal is done yet and I’m sure the prospect of giving Barack Obama a free 90 minute commercial had absolutely nothing to with his decision to attend.  Country First, after all.

Meanwhile, as Ben Smith correctly observes, McCain succeeded in changing the subject:

The move strikes me as a modest success, and it’s best considered against the alternative. Had McCain not abandoned ship yesterday, the news from his campaign would have been twofold: his campaign manager’s ties to Freddie Mac, which the campaign hasn’t been able to convincingly deny; and his running mate’s truly unsteady interview with Katie Couric. (The fact that McCain also sat down with Couric yesterday suggests his campaign knew it had to counterbalance that interview.)

Presidential candidates generally spend days preparing for these debates.  With Capitan America busy saving our economy, I wonder if he’s had a chance to memorize any zingers.