Obama also added that he hopes “John McCain shows up” to tonight’s debate. Asked whether he will push back against the debate’s foreign policy focus, Obama said he would absolutely raise the financial crisis.

“With this looming in the horizon — this has an effect all across the globe. And one of the arguments that I’ve consistently made in this campaign is we can’t be strong abroad if we’re not strong at home. If we are spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq when they have a 79 billion dollar surplus,” he continued, “that just does not make for a safe and secure America.” Obama stressed that Iraq and its economic impact was a “fundamental” disagreement that he has with McCain, which merits a “debate format.” “We’re only talking about 90 minutes here,” he added, “I think that a president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time.”

If McCain bails on tonight’s debate, that is probably the line the Obama camp could use to hammer the absence. While McCain claims his presence is essential in Washington on Friday night, Obama could argue it’s another shortcoming that shows McCain is not well-equipped to handle the complex challenges of the modern presidency.