John McCain isn't the only one using the economic crisis as a way to avoid his other responsibilities.

The New Yorker's Goings On About Town editor Ben Greenman announced that he's done with his column: "In light of the recent crisis that is threatening the very bedrock of our nation, I would like to announce that I am suspending this humor piece to focus on the economy."

We think he's kidding. As for the rest of his plans...

I will write another hundred words or so, a hundred and fifty at most, and then, following the composition of this one short paragraph, I will travel to Washington to attempt to solve to this massive problem.I cannot, in good conscience, finish the piece given the dire circumstances currently facing our financial markets. I am calling on other writers, too, to temporarily set aside their work, whether fiction or nonfiction, humorous or serious, and join with me in attempting to design a plan that can deliver our country from the grips of this potentially devastating threat to the foundation of our economy. Thank you.