Rushed? Oh brother.....rushed would have been leaving Saturday before having to be goaded back by the people asking where he was. A leader would do that anyway. Of course Obama and Perry have very similar priorities.
Our whole area is dry as a bone and the fires are still only 0% contained. So - I would say that a debate doesn't even register in the magnitude of this.
When the oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and oil came ashore killing fish and wildlife, it took Obama weeks before he came down to look it over - remember?
And the beaches were cleared of dead fowl and much of the oil before he came, so that the pictures would look 'better'. I remember the pictures of him stooping down and picking up one glob of oil on his fingertip. He deserved the ridicule!