It's just after midnight here on the east coast. It's strange to say this, but I have absolutely no idea what the next 24 hours will bring in this already strange political season. But I am not alone and if anyone has a clear sense of what will have happened by this time tomorrow night, they have been quiet. I've just scanned the major print media, the major sites on the blogging world and the usual suspects on cable TV. Except for a few colorful conspiracy theorists who have always have exciting ideas about what is going, we all seem to be in the same boat about what tomorrow will bring.
So just to keep this chaos in perspective I'm listing the 20 questions on my mind tonight that I hope to have answered in the next 24 hours.
- Is this split between House and Senate Republicans real? Has a heretofore under-reported fault line in the Republican party finally been exposed?
- Will the radical House Republicans who trashed the White House Bailout proposal sign on to some sort of compromise in the next 24 hours? Will it turn out that this was just brinksmanship?
- Have radical House Republicans decided not only to blow up this bailout deal, but they have decided to blow up their party as well? Have they decided to make McCain and his campaign take some sort of purity test? 'Join us or fight us.' To put it another way, does McCain have control over these radicals, or are they out of his effective control?
- Will there be a bailout bill by 4 pm tomorrow? Other than McCain making a link between the bailout bill and his appearance at the debates, is there a reason the bill has to be passed tomorrow?
- If there is no bill by 4 pm, will McCain go to the debate?
- If there is a bill and it is a bill the radical House Republicans reject, will McCain go to the debate?
- Right now Sarah Palin is being warehoused in Philadelphia. No meetings are scheduled with fund raisers, the press or the public. What will she do tomorrow as this unfolds? Since the McCain campaign didn't really suspend operations, why keep her under wraps in a battleground state on a day when so much will happen?
- Will the McCain campaign comment on its decision to suspend its campaign when even the MSM noticed that it was business as usual for most of the day Thursday? Will the campaign 'spring back to life' on Friday?
- Where will Obama be during the day Friday? How will he react as the bailout bill lives or dies? Will he make comments on the bill or McCain that set the stage for his comments during the debate?
- What will Obama do or say, if the bailout bill goes through?
- If McCain doesn't show up for the debate, will the University of Mississippi give the 90 minutes to an Obama solo? Will Obama take them up on the offer?
- If McCain does show up, what will that be like? Will the moderator keep the thing focused on foreign policy?
- If a real debate breaks out, how will the MSM score the thing?
- Assuming a real debate takes place, will Obama be able to take advantage of whatever kind of intramural fight is going on among Republicans?
- Will President Bush stay off the tv screen all day even if the radical House Republicans show a real interest in blowing up the bailout bill and McCain can't or won't stop them?
- Friday's tracking polls will include the first public reactions to McCain's decision to 'halt' his campaign and re-schedule the debates. Did his Hail Mary pass work again?
- What will Senate Republicans do?
- What will the markets do?
- Will Bill Clinton get a little face time and continue to express his admiration and affection for Senator McCain?
- Will the Mets win today?