So Dan Balz sees McCain's "campaign suspension" as a gamble.
Why not call it what it is? It's abdication of his campaign responsibility to the American people. If John McCain didn't believe he could run for President and fulfill his responsibilities as Senator, then he should have abstained from running. Yes, he owed Arizona's people the responsibility of adequately performing as U.S. Senator, and by running for President he promised them that he could do so, and he promised the rest of America that he would be an available candidate for consideration for the highest office in the land.
Now he is reneging on both promises. He's saying he can't be both Senator and candidate, and that being Senator is more important. That's his choice. But Americans are owed more than this - they are owed a full review of the candidates who are running for the Chief Executive office for the next four years. Americans expect, as part of that review, timely and orderly debates. Calling off on them isn't a good gamble for getting the job as Chief Executive. If we expect the Chief Executive to be able to manage several issues at the same time, why shouldn't we expect candidates to do so, also?
I think McCain is going to get punished in the polls for this little ploy, particularly if he grandstands in Washington - and he'll richly deserve it. This is a weakness of McCain's being masqueraded as patriotism, and he doesn't have enough veneer to keep Americans from seeing the difference.