Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s suspension of his campaign earlier this week confused many, and while pundits wrangled over the consequences of the decision, Jon Stewart gave what may be the most incisive analysis of McCain’s choice out there: “The net effect of John McCain suspending his campaign [has been] angering David Letterman.” Indeed, Stewart gave his audience a blow-by-blow look at the events of the week, finding McCain’s actions bizarre, politicized, and perhaps even egomaniacal:

September 15: McCain announces that the “fundamentals of the economy are still strong”. The stock market plummets 500 points

September 21: McCain says that SEC chairman Chris Cox has betrayed public trust, and that if McCain were president, he would fire Cox. The President of the United States does not have the power to do this.

September 22: McCain receives a copy of the government’s plan to bail-out Wall Street; it is a three page document.

September 23: McCain is asked if he will support the bailout plan . The senator claims he has not yet read the three page document.

September 24: John McCain makes the decision to suspend his campaign so he can focus fully on the economic meltdown. He skips an interview with David Letterman in order to get back to Washington. Instead of heading to Washington that evening, McCain sits down for an interview with Katie Couric.

September 25: Congress is said to be close to closing a deal on the bailout plan. McCain’s plane lands in Washington. Negotiations stall and nearly fall apart.

As Stewart summed it up: “John McCain is the only man who can impulsively overreact to something 10 days old.”

–Marissa Colón-Margolies

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