Olbermann Pinch Hits for McCain on Letterman

Talk about a twist of fate!

Sen. John McCain was scheduled to appear on "Late Night With David Letterman" but cancelled late Wednesday afternoon, telling Letterman he had to hustle down to Washington to work on the financial crisis bailout compromise.

So who did Letterman get to sub in for him? None other than Keith Olbermann, who reportedly is a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama.

"I'm more than a little disappointed by this behavior," Letterman told his audience. "We're suspending the campaign. Suspending it because there's an economic crisis, or because the poll numbers are sliding?

"You don't suspend your campaign," he added. "Do you suspend your campaign? No, because that makes me think, well, you know, maybe there will be other things down the road -- if he's in the White House, he might just suspend being president. I mean, we've got a guy like that now!"

Letterman, while interviewing Olbermann, found out that at the same time McCain was getting ready for an interview with Katie Couric of CBS just three blocks away. Letterman then arranged for a live feed from that location, which showed McCain getting made up to go on with Couric. “He doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport,” Letterman said. After listening to Couric ask the presidential candidate a few questions, Letterman quipped, “Hey, John, I’ve got a question: You need a lift to the airport?”

He asked Olbermann if he thought this was all McCain’s fault, or whether other factors had come into play. Olbermann gleefully replied: "He ditched you.”