“No. He's going to have to deal with plenty of economic issues if he becomes president, and he's not going to be able to put everything on hold to deal with them.”

— Whitney Petrie, sales associate, Lawrence

“Yes. I think the problem is that the Democrats are trying to stop the bailout, which is urgent and necessary, and I think McCain is using the debates as a tool to make sure it gets done.”

— Gary Potts, builder, Lawrence

“No. It seems like a pretty substantial economic package to be forcing it through without enough discussion. I think the debates should go on as scheduled. He shouldn't be able to hijack them in order to push the bailout through.”

— Ed Parker, workforce manager, Lawrence

“No. I just think it's a strategy to divert attention away from his faltering campaign.”

— Tracy Miller, program coordinator, Lawrence