Today's rapid-response Globe editorial

There may have been other cases in which the Globe editorialized online hours after a given story broke, but I can't think of any.

In any case: the paper's editorial page has already weighed in on John McCain's proposal to cancel Friday's debate and grind the presidential campaign to a halt. An excerpt:

McCain's desire to seize the initiative is understandable, for the meltdown on an ill-regulated Wall Street is the harshest indictment possible of Republican stewardship of the economy. And McCain's initial response to the mess -- his odd claim that the fundamentals of the economy are strong -- made him look out of touch. But if he now thinks the problem can be tidied up during a short break from the campaign trail, he needs some new economic advisers.

McCain has already brought discredit upon his campaign by shielding running mate Sarah Palin from hostile questions. This impulsive new stunt makes him appear unsteady and underprepared, too. America can work through a financial crisis and handle a campaign at the same time.

Whether or not you agree with the editorial's gist--and I do--that's smart use of the web. Given the speed with which stories develop and die these days, editorial pages simply can't wait until the next day to weigh in if they want to have an impact. Kudos.