AMong other things, he is paid to defends the COnstitution, and has been doing, so far, a better job of it than either Palin, Bush, of McCain.

Obama is not shirking his responsibilities, and it is disingenous and fractious of you to imply that he is. However, he understands that a comeptent executive can handle multiple situations, and denying the importance of these debates on the eve of the election is an act of self-deception he is not willing to subsctribe to. At the same time, he is proposing solid, viable requirements for the debate on the so-called bailout, many of which are now beginning to creep into others' talking points. Furthermore he has contributed mor solid reasoningt to the discussion than McCain has so far.

So don't tell me he isn't pulling his weight. What he ISN'T doing is trying to turn the financial crisis into a political coup by acting it out on the national stage, which McCain is doing because it makes him look bold and important. On reflection, he is neither.

A