You're correct, sir; free advertising, nothing else.

at how much better Obama sounds in debates when you're not rooting against him.  

That's not a taunt, just a different perspective.  It's useful because this idea that he is somehow lacking in debate skills was just one of those conventional 'wisdoms' that got pushed real hard in the primaries.  

Hillary is a really strong debater that's true.  But Obama really isn't the slouch you think him to be.  

Again, it's not a taunt, hopefully he'll just prove me right and you'll enjoy it thoroughly as he takes McCain apart.  ;)

An aspect of you're diary I really like; you are absolutely correct that engaging with McCain is exactly what McCain needs.  The debates will be useful and there should be some.  But usually, it's the one trailing and fighting for oxygen who starts demanding a weekly debate schedule.  

Every time McCain is on stage with Obama will be the pinnacle of attention on him for the month.  

It's a wonderful thing for us to be in control of this time.  We've got the candidate everyone can't take their eyes off of.

Ten is overkill, but he can take a few and show folks that he learned to be a better debater from Hillary Clinton.

Your "advice" would make him look cowardly.

Also, we don't know what will happen with public financing yet; he never made a pledge and everything that would lead to that hinged on preconditions involving the control of 527 groups... one thing that Obama has been good at on the Democratic side.

If McCain can't control his supporting 527s (and he should, his senior staffers are on their trustee boards), then public financing for Obama is out of the question.

A quick cut/paste of my previous comment on this:
*******
A few thoughts:

1. This is McCain's attempt to take Obama off the road, as much as possible.  The longer Obama spends in a state, the better he tends to do.  So, McCain wants to take him out of traditional campaigning to spend time at TEN SHARED EVENTS.

2. June 12th?  That's awfully soon, and I'd imagine that the next week will be a lot of GE planning, discussions with party leaders, and whatnot.  So, this strikes me as McCain demanding a meeting at a time when a.) Obama will be unprepared or b.) will have to refuse, thus allowing McCain to continue with the "why won't be debate?" stuff.

3. That aside, I still like the idea.  I don't know about TEN of them, and I certainly don't like starting in a week, but I think there is a benefit to doing these sorts of things and the democrat (small d) in me loves this sort of thing.  

Ten is wwaaayyyyy too many.

DJ has it exactly right--Johnny Mac is trying to score a little free advertising and I hope Obama doesn't give it to him.

Hillary and Obama onstage was a media circus, with each doing fabulously well and the viewers left searching for what they already knew in the answers given; in the general, Obama will upstage and outshine McCain based as much on policy as differences in style.

John McCain is chum.

anyone that saw McCain's lackluster (and I'm being generous) speech yesterday, then saw Obama knows the score.  Obama would wipe the floor with him.  He connects with people far better than McCain does not to mention these would be 10 golden opportunites to try and make johnny boy lose his cool on national tv.

1) So, John, how bout all them lobbyists on your payroll?  Though you were against that sort of thing?  Did you have a "senior moment" about that as well?

2) So, John, how bout the shia/sunni thing - kinda confusin' huh?

3) So, John, the whole calling your wife a cunt in front of reporters, tad much, no?

4) So, John, the not supporting the GI Bill after you co-sponsored it.  What's up with that?

5) So, John, the whole voting against your own legislation a dozen different times, how are you doin with that?

etc etc etc - it's a goldmine - I can already see the pasty white face turing 14 shades of red with him storming off the stage telling Obama to go fuck himself.