Breaking News: McCain Asks to Suspend Election
NEW YORK — Republican John McCain said Wednesday he wants to postpone the 2008 presidential election in order to take time to study the economy, and he has called upon Barack Obama to join him in support of this idea.
“In this precarious economic time, it is important to put politics behind us and work together in a bi-partisan way to prevent a financial disaster,” said McCain. “That’s why I have asked Barack Obama to agree to suspend the 2008 election for sixty days.”
The Obama campaign responded with bewilderment at the request, saying such a delay would be unconstitutional, and insisting that the election move forward as planned on November 4. “The constitution requires us to hold elections on the first Tuesday of November,” explained Sen. Obama, a former professor of constitutional law, who referred to McCain’s proposal as “crackpot” and “bizarre.”
McCain tried to allay Obama’s concerns, as well as those expressed by members of Congress and the rest of the world, by outlining a plan that would postpone the election “within the bounds of judicial scrutiny.”
McCain said he wants to add two temporary months to the current year. The new months would be called “Surgetember” and “Maverickuary,” and would follow October in a revised 2008 calendar.
“This special, extended year would allow us an additional 60 days to brush up on this economy issue,” said McCain. “It would give us the time to have experts educate us on all things connected with the economy; time to grasp complex economic terms like ‘short selling,’ ‘sub-prime mortgage’ and ‘unemployment’ — before the American public has to choose between us.”
