A lot of hubbub was made a few weeks back (yours truly, included) when John McCain suspended his campaign to "sort out" this financial crisis. It smacked of opportunism and, like most of his campaign decisions to date, it seemed impulsive and not well-thought-out. Of course, he was shamed back into "resuming" his campaign.
Now, Obama is taking a few days off to go to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother. With the exception of a few pundits out there, most people are regarding this as a legitimate hiatus. Though, I will be appalled if, in that time, he shamelessly has the press following him around. If he's going to visit his grandmother because he's afraid she might not have much longer, as he insists, he needs to tell his press entourage to kick back at Waikiki beach for a few days and give him some space.
That said, this suspension and McCain's suspension are apples and oranges. First, Obama is not suspending his entire campaign; Michelle, Joe Biden, and many other surrogates are still running the circuit and making appearances while Barry spends QT with Grandma. Secondly, when McCain suspended his campaign, the negative ads still ran, McCain was still attending fundraisers, and his surrogates were still making appearances.
A lot of people are calling this a gamble and I suppose that's a legitimate concern when you're this close to the election. But, unlike the transparent motives that drove McCain to suspend his campaign, I don't think Obama's motives are going to get him stung.
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