Not sure what to make of this yet: John McCain has suspended his presidential campaign to return to Washington and help sort out this financial mess. Here's an excerpt from his official statement.

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.

Whoa. What does suspend mean? Will the campaign pull all its ads and put Sarah Palin on a train to Washington to meet McCain?

At face value this move makes McCain look strong on the economy and willing to put “country first.” It’s also a shrewd move on the part of his communicators, considering the recent polls and media scrutiny of his campaign manager.

An ABC/Washington Post poll released today showed Obama with a nine point lead over McCain due in large part to the public’s perception that the Democrat is stronger on the economy. Meanwhile, reports continue to swirl about the connection Davis’s lobbying firm has had with Fannie Mae.

Can’t wait to see how the Obama camp, the media and the public react.

UPDATE 1: This is the Obama campaign's reaction so far.

At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama's call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.

UPDATE 2: The McCain campaign has issued a statement contradicting Obama's side of the story.

“Senator Obama phoned Senator McCain at 8:30 am this morning but did not reach him. The topic of Senator Obama’s call to Senator McCain was never discussed. Senator McCain was meeting with economic advisers and talking to leaders in Congress throughout the day prior to calling Senator Obama. At 2:30 pm, Senator McCain phoned Senator Obama and expressed deep concern that the plan on the table would not pass as it currently stands. He asked Senator Obama to join him in returning to Washington to lead a bipartisan effort to solve this problem.”