10:54pm UK, Friday September 26, 2008

James Cheyne, Sky News Online

The first presidential debate in Mississippi will go ahead after John McCain said he was re-starting his campaign

Preparations for the presidential debate in Mississippi

The Republican had asked for the event to be delayed so he and Barack Obama could stay in Washington and help sort out the economic crisis.

But as members of Congress grappled with the finer points of the bail-out plan, Senator McCain said he would attend.

A statement released by his campaign read: “The McCain campaign is resuming all activities and the Senator will travel to the debate this afternoon”.

“Following the debate, he will return to Washington to ensure that all voices and interests are represented in the final agreement, especially those of taxpayers and homeowners”.

His rival had insisted he would be at the podium in Mississippi regardless of whether a bail-out deal was struck in Washington DC.

Speaking on board his campaign plane before flying to the southern state, Senator Obama said: “My strong sense is that the best thing I can do, rather than to inject presidential politics into some delicate negotiations is to go down to Mississippi and explain to the American people what is going on”.

Both campaigns have accused their opponents of playing politics at a time of national crisis.

But Mr McCain who’s suffered a drop in the polls during the past week, may suffer most from the debate debacle.

Sky News political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: “If he drags this crisis out long enough, he might also be able to cancel the VP debate, keep Sarah Palin under the rug and maybe run out the clock completely and have no debates at all”.

Debate rehearsals have still been going ahead

In Oxford Mississippi the organisers have spent $5m dollars on the event which they have been organising for a year and half.

It’s due to take place at the University of Mississippi – nicknamed ‘Ole Miss’ – 46 years to the day after the institution accepted its first black student – James Meredith.

His enrolment in 1962 was one of the major milestones of the civil rights movement.

It caused race riots on the campus that left two people dead and hundreds injured – the bullet holes can still be seen in the walls of the main administration building today.

But more than four decades later as the first African American with a serious chance of becoming president takes to the stage, Meredith himself may not be there.

According to the Washington Post blog the 75 year old is staying away because he doesn’t want to be a distraction:

“My wife and son will be there” he told the blog “I’m taking care of the grandbabies.”

Hundreds of audience members and more than three thousand journalists will turn up to see the candidates take each other on though – all of them watching keenly for a sign the race is swinging in favour of one candidate.

The candidates will stand at podiums for the discussion giving a two minute answer to each question followed by a five minute discussion.

The subjects are supposed to be foreign policy and national security – topics Mr McCain is comfortable with. But the economy is now likely to play a big part – he may not be quite so happy about that.

Everything from their appearance to their body language and the way they behave towards each other will be picked over in minute detail.

Professor Alan Schroeder, author of, ‘Presidential Debates: 40 Years of High-Risk TV’ told Sky News “They’ve been on the campaign trail for what feels like the past century, so we’re quite familiar with their performances and they’re very different”.

Barack Obama tends to be a little more introspective and thoughtful, a little halting in his delivery and McCain a much more direct and blunt, to the point kind of guy.”