Ole Miss Officials: Debate Cancellation Would Be $5.5 Million Loss

Ironically enough, if John McCain goes through with his threat to skip the foreign policy debate scheduled for this Friday for the sake of prolonging and complicating the ongoing negotiations over the Paulson bailout package, it may end up creating another distressed asset -- the University of Mississippi's investment in Friday's face-off. Officials from Ole Miss told ABC News today that a cancellation would be "devastating" to the University -- and that a postponement might not be possible:

Andrew Mullins, special assistant to University Chancellor Robert Khayat, told ABC News that the Ole Miss campus has been transformed to accommodate the candidates and the press. Road blocks are in place on campus and in the community and the debate television set for the candidates has already been constructed. He said the university has spent roughly five and half million dollars getting ready for the debate.

Mullins also noted that if the Commission on Presidential Debates asks the campus to hold the debate at a later date, he is not sure the university would be able to accommodate them.

"It's huge. You cannot just say that you're not going to do this thing," Mullins said. "I don't have any idea whether we do the debate" at a later date. "[We] probably wouldn't do it."

Comments

[nikz]

Ole Miss should hand McCain a bill for $5.5 M if he decides not to show up. He can afford it!

[All57States]

BHO could debate Biden. They could compare and contrast their ideas on clean coal, the bailout of AIG, ads on McCain's computer usage and FDR's use of TV during the '29 crash.

[evekendall]

John McCainisms
Dumb Quotes and Gaffes by John McCain
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/johnmccain/a/mccainisms.htm

Palin? I won't even go there.

[crazylikeafox]

What the hell did they spend 51/2 million on?

Inflation is out of control in this country.

[tbone99]

An empty podium is more truthful than Mccain, not to mention more eloquent.

[totaldisbelief]

Obama should show up anyway and turn it into an opportunity to "convert" local voters .

[thefringecenter]

Oh the tears that fall. A red university in a red state wants a bailout because their grandpa cut and run.

[oandjoe08]

McBaby needs to show up at the debate!!!!

[uc1000]

As bad as MS was to black folks in the 60's, they need to come up with more money to give to blacks who are still 2nd class citizens in that state.

[dutch163]

he made a committment..he should keep it
as president he would have to do more than one thing
it would be such a detriment to U of Miss

on the other hand...let Obama go to the debate alone and see how thta makes mc cain look

I too think he is ill prepared or afraid to debate

[newdates]

I bet McCain will come to do the debate Friday night and lost badly.

[RButler]

I wonder if the rules allow McCain to send Palin in his place at the last minute. You thought Obama stuttered now. Someone would have to slap him on the back so he could speak.

[JoeBlough]

I don't understand your post. What in the world are you getting at?

[McCainCampaignToNowhere]

I wish John McCain stuttered just a little, then maybe he'd have some time to think about the sh*t that comes out of his mouth.

I'd take a thinking President any day of the week.

[bannorhill]

Financial disaster?

$5.5 Million loss for Ole Miss.

$1,000,000 Million ($1 Trillion) loss for the US tax payers.

Which deserves our leader's time?

[nycw49]

Who the heck said McCain is our leader? He might be your "leader" but he sure isnt mine.

[goplayrabbit]

nor mine.

[bannorhill]

So there is a problem at Obama's job (the Senate). It may cost each persn in the US $3,333.00. Where is Obama? Is he running and hiding because he is not qualified to fix it? That is not the action I expect from a leader.

[indi1216]

the election campaigns did not stop when we had the second world war....elections continued when we had the vietnam war...McCain's little brain can;t multi-task....anyways, what can he do over this bailout, he is not in any of the committees, all he has to do is vote for or against the bailout...he is not needed over in DC....be a man face the music.

[bannorhill]

You are right. When the stock market crashed in 1929 FDR went immediately on TV to reassure the American people.

[indi1216]

He is not needed over in DC...this is just another political move to have more time. We did not stop all election campaigns because of world war 2 or the vietnam war...be a man face the music.

[lobear00]

Leader is not something in John Mccains closet, nor in his mind.

[addie24]

Multi-task. And he is not our leader yet.

[IsaacKuo]

If I were an Ole Miss official, I'd be secretly salivating at the prospect of a McCain no-show. It would be a HUGE get! Could you imagine the publicity and noteriety of it all?

It would be the most watched Presidential debate ever. Everyone would be talking about "The Ole Miss Debate" as the quintessential moment of the 2008 election for years to come. Obama will win by a landslide on the popular unofficial slogan "How can you be ready to lead if you're not ready to show up?" This would etch Ole Miss into world history forever. This sort of opportunity to stoke one's alma mater pride comes maybe once in a lifetime if you're extremely lucky.

But of course, the Old Miss officials can't say they want to hold the debates for the fame--that would prod the Presidential Debate Commission to call the whole thing off. So, they can trump up some exaggerated costs to justify why it's now or never.

[annieb00308]

I think that Obama should just say that they should both go back to Washington and have the VPs take the time slot and have their debate at Ole Miss on Friday night. That might scare Mccain into having it himself.

[RButler]

That's actually a good idea. Obama needs to be flexible. Otherwise, it looks like he wants to keep to his schedule like Bush did on 9/11 for 7 minutes. It's been reported that McCain's announcement that he was suspending his campaign and not going to the debate threw the Obama camp for a loop. They had to scramble for a while before they came up with 'continue with the debate'. Wow! Quick thinking.

So, Obama wants the negotiations on the bailout to occur without him in DC, then, he can spend the remaining time till November complaining about the final deal. What a leader. What a leader.

[OlderWoman]

I like that idea!

[RonNYC]

I'm sure Cindy can write out a check to cover the costs of cancelled debate. She would just forgo one month on her AmEx Card.

[Icantbelieveher]

CNN is reporting that lawmakers from both parties in house and senate say they have a bailout deal! Thank Go d McCain went to Washington!!!