Senator John McCain has announced that he suspended his campaign his campaign on Wednesday so he can go back to Washington to help come up with a plan – or approve the plan proposed by the White House, or change some aspects of it – to prevent America’s economy from collapsing.

The situation is so grave, McCain’s campaign argued, that the senator feels he should go to Congress and help out where he can.

There have been several kinds of reactions to the suspensions:

1. Some argue that it’s a sign that McCain believes his campaign will be over if he does not radically change his image on the issue of the economy

2. Others believe it’s a sign that has other problems. Steve Benen, for instance, seems to believe that McCain may be physically unhealthy

3. Again others argue that it’s a desperate move; Obama is leading in the polls, these people say, McCain has been attacked for weeks, he needs a break

4.  Patrick Edaburn represents those who believe McCain does not have any other intentions; he simply, Edaburn believes, goes back because he believes he has to do so. No time for politics as usual, time to solve some problems

5.  Lastly, there are those who believe it’s a great move against Obama. It forces Barack Obama to either follow McCain’s lead, or to appear as not caring about the American people and foresaking his duty as a Senator

As of this moment, I’m not sure what to think of it. It’s way too early to tell whether it’s a smart move politically, and it’s also too early to tell whether it was an opportunistic or a principled decision – or a bit of both.

Perhaps all, or at least several of the five points mentioned above play a role. That could certainly be the case.

Here’s McCain’s statement in full:
America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.

Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.

It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration’s proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.

Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.