If the first SUSA poll on the question means anything, McCain’s grandstanding decision to suspend his campaign is a huge political loser, which I suppose some remaining McCain devotees will cite as proof of his integrity.  “It couldn’t have been a transparent political stunt, since it was such a politically stupid thing to do!”  Wait for it.

86% want the debate to happen on Friday, and half of respondents want the debate to go ahead as scheduled as a foreign policy debate.  Just 10% think it should be postponed.  There is a little more reflexive support from Republicans and conservatives, but what McCain proposes for Friday is opposed by just about everyone.  Only 14% agree that suspending the campaign is the right response.  46% say that it would be “bad for America” if there is no debate on Friday.  If we are assessing the political effect of this decision, I don’t see how it can be considered as anything but disastrous.  As far as aiding in negotiations on the bailout, McCain has nothing to contribute (perhaps he could call up Andy Cuomo for some advice) and will be there, as always, mugging for the cameras as part of his desperate bid for positive coverage serious effort to save America. 

Update: Palin is also suspending her part of the campaign, which will at least make her isolation from most of the media seem less ridiculous.  It will also give her some time to go find that evidence of McCain’s financial regulatory work that she has promised Katie Couric.  The McCain campaign is also proposing to scrap, er, postpone the VP debate.  Perhaps the strategy is to show how bad a meltdown looks like to encourage people to back the bailout. 

Second Update: Former Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-OK) calls McCain’s suspension of the campaign “somewhere on the stupidity scale between plain silly and numbingly desperate.”  That sounds about right.