Why, skeptics of the McCain-campaign-suspension gambit say, would McCain act as though it matters what he does in the formulation of the bailout deal? He doesn’t sit on any of the relevant Senate committees, he doesn’t care about the issue, he’ll only gum up the works….

This line became so popular yesterday afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, called on McCain not to come back to Washington only one day after he specifically asked Joe Lieberman to ask McCain to come back.

This is preposterous. John McCain is no longer just a Senator. He is, effectively, the co-leader of the Republican Party, along with the president. How can anyone say, with a straight face in the midst of a crisis, that it would actually be better for everyone concerned if he were off in Debate Camp?