I'm afraid I can't see this as anything more than a shallow and transparent ploy for moderate votes.

"Look at me! Look at me! I'm a maverick running a different kind of campaign. Don't listen to what I've been saying for the last four weeks. And don't listen to what I say tomorrow after the speech is over. Just look at me now!"

I see this as a gift, Larry.

When I first heard this news, I thought, "Wow. What a classy and gracious gesture." Then another cynical thought immediately followed: "Oh, hell. This is just McCain's attempt to co-opt Obama's unifying message. It's a pre-emptive measure."

But you know what? It doesn't matter what McCain's motive is. All Obama has to do is graciously accept it at face value, and take the opportunity to underscore that the progress we celebrate in American transcends our ideological divisions -- it unites us. And Obama can dispel the attempts McCain has made to characterize him as a self-interested egotist by pointing out that this moment is not about him -- it's about our country, and the promise that's implied by his presence tonight as our nation's Democratic Party presidential nominee.

I'm going with the benefit of the doubt -- he is, after all, an American and he has to feel some pride. In fact, as someone who has friends - real friends - like Kerry and Biden, he cannot be all bad. Just not, by ANY means, at this time in his life, capable of being President.

His campaign had three choices - go silent and put out no ads, run an attack ad, or something like this. Of the available options, I think it was a good choice. ---- I think Obama would still win even if McCain was running a truly civil campaign all the time, so it's no threat.