This morning while waking two questions popped into my mind about Senator McCain:

• Why is he campaigning?
• In Tuesday’s debate he claimed “I know how to fix the economy.” Well, how do we do it?

On question one, McCain claimed that he was suspending his campaign to put country first and solve the financial crisis. I don’t know if he’s paying attention, but the crisis is still raging full force. So, why exactly is he campaigning when the mission is not accomplished? Could it be that he was not serious about his assertion that the country needed his strong leadership to emerge from the financial funk? Or perhaps it’s the more obvious political stunt. I hope in the last debate, someone asks the Senator this question.

As for question two, based on McCain’s assertion that he knows how to fix the economy, end the war, find Bin Laden, etc. My question is how? If you know this, why haven’t we heard the answer from Senator McCain? Is he saying “elect me and I’ll show you?” Or perhaps he thinks he knows how and he thinks he’s demonstrated the answer already? Or perhaps it’s the most obvious answer, he doesn’t know but thinks most Americans will let that pass as long as he says he knows?

The economy is falling down around our ears and in recent campaigning in Ohio, here’s the closing argument from McCain’s Campaign in Wilmington:

So you know, Ohio, from now until Election Day, you’re gonna hear our opponents go on and on about how they’ll, quote, fight for you. But since my running mate won’t say this on his own behalf I will say it for him. And that is, in this campaign there is only one man who has every really fought for you. The only man who has ever really fought for you and the only man with courage.

And for contrast, here’s Senator Obama’s close from the Dayton rally:

Together, we cannot fail. Not now. Not when we have a crisis to solve and an economy to save. Not when there are so many Americans without jobs and without homes. Not when there are families who can’t afford to see a doctor, or send their child to college, or pay their bills at the end of the month. Not when there is a generation that is counting on us to give them the same opportunities and the same chances that we had for ourselves.

We can do this. Americans have done this before. Some of us had grandparents or parents who said maybe I can’t go to college but my child can; maybe I can’t have my own business but my child can. I may have to rent, but maybe my children will have a home they can call their own. I may not have a lot of money but maybe my child will run for Senate. I might live in a small village but maybe someday my son can be president of the United States of America.

Now it falls to us. Together, we cannot fail.

The contrast couldn’t be more clear. If McCain had something to offer, he would have offered it by now. In fact, McCain is downright addled. As I’ve said before, this election is over.