In my email inbox I have a “Dear Jennifer” letter from David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager, who sends out these sorts of things to Obama supporters — and media people who sign up to read what the Obama team is telling supporters. This one seems odd. Plouffe says of the upcoming debate: “He [Obama] also made it clear that — with only 40 days left for the American people to decide who will be responsible for leading our economic future — it is more important than ever that the scheduled debate takes place.” Well, that would be a debate on foreign policy, right? Or is there a change in plans? Really, it is hard to justify why a foreign policy debate is so vital right now.

Here is where it gets dicey. What is the need to have a debate right this moment? It strikes me as a lifeline that Obama has grabbed onto–if they can just stick to the schedule, overlook that the debate is on a tangentially related topic, and get the voters’ eyes off the McCain maneuver, everything will be okay.

So for those thinking there is some desperation in the air, perhaps they need look no further than the emails of the Obama camp. It seems any excuse will do to stick to the game plan. And if he really wants to debate on the economy, McCain–I am sure–would be happy to describe how Harry Reid and Hank Paulson thought his presence was essential to making a deal.