Where's the beef?

 

Remember the Wendy's commercial from the '80's, with that old lady yelling, "Where's the beef?" I can't help thinking the same thing after the fiasco on Capitol Hill yesterday. John McCain calls off the debate, the campaign and everything else, because he thinks going to "Warshington" and finalizing the bailout bill is more important than anything else. But he forgot to make a plan for what to do AFTER he got there, and he ended up doing and saying nothing helpful all day. If ever there was an example of the old saying, "If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem", this was it. There was no guidance offered and no insight shared, and the day ended in frenzied media glare and bitter partisan bickering. What happened? Where was the input he seemed so desperate to share with his fellow Congressmen and women? WHERE'S THE BEEF?

This is just typical McCain -style over substance. Want to boost your sagging campaign numbers? Bring in Sarah Palin - she looks good and has instant surface appeal. Sure she's a bit inexperienced and not too great with the issues, but if nobody asks too many questions or watches too many YouTube videos of her in church, she will dazzle the base. Don't have a great track record or any new ideas to run on? Just throw some negative ads on the air...deflect attention from your own inadequacies and pray that most people won't bother to fact-check your empty accusations against your opponent. Want to look like a hero during a time of national crisis? Announce that solving the problem is your number one priority, then make a big show of abandoning everything else to focus on just that one problem.

Except, after all that "country first" rhetoric, he hasn't actually contributed anything to the process. He seems to think this is grade school and that someone's taking attendence. But you don't get points just for showing up to the meeting. If he really does want to get this task done, then he has to participate - offer some ideas, guide his colleagues, SOMETHING, especially after he painted himself as someone who just HAD to be involved in fixing this problem. If he has anything constructive to add to the debate, then what is he waiting for? Now is the time to show his hand, before we all decide that the whole incident was nothing more than posturing and pandering to revive his poll numbers.

Wasn't he the guy who prides himself in reaching across the aisle and supporting bipartisan solutions? Didn't he tell us he had the experience to lead in a time of crisis? Hadn't he been chiding Obama for what he called "inaction"? In fact the McCain campaign ran ads about Obama's supposed "inaction" this week..and FactCheck.org already posted a response showing why the ad was full of crap (what a surprise!) Well, last time I checked, there was no hand extended across the aisle to Democrats by Senator McCain - in fact, he couldn't even get his own party to come together and agree on a plan. He failed as referee when the fighing broke out and the discussions broke down. He still has not presented his own outline of what he wants the plan to include and how it should look. His statements to the press and in the meetings yesterday, by all accounts, were generalizations about being "optimistic" and indicated no clear direction or strategy. He flailed his way through the meltdown last week, and he seems to be flailing his way through this process as well. OK Senator - you wanted in on this and you said you were ready to roll up your sleeves and get something done. So...WHERE'S THE BEEF???

I'm sure today will be another day of drama and turmoil, and it still remains to be seen whether or not the debate will happen tonight as scheduled. But at this point, the first and most important question to be answered is, when is John McCain going to do what he said he came to Washington to do? Or will this turn into yet another campaign promise that gets broken before the campaign even ends?

Where's the beef?