Heightening the drama surrounding the first presidential debate, John McCain said he had still not decided whether he will show up for the face-off against Barack Obama tonight.
McCain said he was “hopeful” an agreement on the Wall Street rescue package could be reached early today, so he could take part in the debate at the University of Mississippi.
“I believe that it’s very possible that we can get an agreement so that – in time for me to fly to Mississippi,” he told ABC News’ Charles Gibson.
“I understand that there is a lot of attention on this, but I also wish Senator Obama had agreed to 10 or more town-hall meetings that I had asked him to attend with me. Wouldn’t be quite that much urgency if he agreed to do that. Instead, he refused to do it.”
McCain met briefly Friday morning with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., before heading to the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. A close friend and supporter, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appeared to lower the bar on what sort of agreement would satisfy McCain that sufficient progress had been made.
“What’s more important than anything that when we go to Mississippi tonight, both candidates can say that the Congress is working, back in business, that we have an outline or proposal that will protect the taxpayer and save the country from financial Pearl Harbor, as Warren Buffet called it,” Graham said on “Today” on NBC. “We are not there yet, but we will get there.”
Obama said he plans to debate, regardless of the status of the rescue package, and hopes that McCain will show.
McCain’s aides informed reporters covering his campaign that he will stay in Washington until further notice.
“Senator McCain will remain in DC tonight as he continues to take action in brokering a deal that will address the crisis as well as protect the taxpayer. No further travel plans have been made at this point,” the McCain campaign said in a statement.
Both Obama and McCain attended a White House summit with President Bush yesterday to try to break the logjam.
“We have to present to the American people where we want to take the country in the next four months. The next president will have a whale of a job to do,” Obama told Fox News’ “Special Report with Brit Hume.”
“I continue to think that’s the most important thing we can do.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates said it was proceeding as if the debate would be held.
“Both campaigns just completed their walk-through of the debate hall,” commission spokesman Scott Warner said last night.
Meanwhile, a Marist poll released yesterday found that 53 percent of voters want the debate to go on as planned, while 42 percent supported McCain’s call for a delay.
The candidates were initially scheduled to answer questions only on foreign policy and national security issues. But given the Wall Street meltdown, there will be discussion of the economy as well.
Amid the debate over the debate, a new poll found the race a dead heat. Gallup’s daily tracking surveys shows both McCain and Obama with 46 percent of the vote. Other polls have Obama slightly ahead.
About 100 million Americans were expected to tune in to the debate, which was set to air at 9 p.m. on network TV and cable news stations. It was to run 90 minutes, with PBS’s Jim Lehrer moderating.