The Note: In Blame Game, McCain’s Defense is Offense

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The Note: In Blame Game, McCain’s Defense is Offense

September 30, 2008 8:36 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Tuesday's Note: Can you blame these guys for wanting to get out of that building?

As we watch the stock market try to whip votes in Congress in a way not even a president, two presidential candidates, and the united bipartisan, bicameral leadership could not, everyone looks bad, but some people look more bad than others.

That second list would include, say, those who have lagged when the talk has turn to the economy; those whose party’s votes largely sank the bill; those who staked their campaigns to getting a workable solution through Congress; and those who celebrated the measure’s passage only slightly prematurely.

Sometimes, gambles fail: “Republican John McCain has maneuvered himself into a political dead end and has five weeks to find his way out,” the AP’s Steven Hurst writes. “All in all, McCain might have been better served by staying out of the mess and above the fray.”

Sen. Barack Obama hardly emerges as a profile in courage; aides couldn’t point to a single phone call he made to an on-the-fence lawmaker, and there’s the little matter of his own advance text applauding the deal that never was.

Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.

(Obama is first out of the box, though, with a new idea Tuesday -- expanding FDIC insurance to help small businesses. And President Bush -- never looking less relevant than he does at this moment -- seeks to calm the markets with 8:45 am ET remarks at the White House.)

(Plus -- the RNC fires back with a quick-out-of-the-box “independent expenditure” ad that probably doesn’t make compromise any easier: “Meltdown: Wall Street squanders our money, and Washington is forced to bail them out with -- you guessed it -- our money. Under Barack Obama’s plan, the government would spend a trillion dollars more, even after the bailout.” A Republican official tells ABC the ad is running in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and -- here’s a first for the cycle -- Indiana.)

Still, McCain had and still has more on the line -- and would be in the same situation if his only goal was shifting the debate away from the economy, rather than salvaging his political reputation at the same time.

“As a study in his prospective leadership, the role of Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, has done him no political good,” Jackie Calmes writes in The New York Times. “He implicitly took credit for the compromise bailout that Congressional leaders had negotiated over the weekend, even as it was going down to defeat.”

“Mr. Obama, campaigning in Colorado, also was taken by surprise,” Calmes continues. “He quickly revised his speech, which announced the bipartisan agreement, to instead call for Congress to ‘step up to the plate and get this done.’ While Mr. Obama had tepidly endorsed the plan and kept in daily touch with Mr. Paulson and Congressional leaders, aides said he did not twist Democrats’ arms to support it.”

Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.

ABC News' Hope Ditto contributed to this report.

September 30, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (122)

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MCCAIN SHOULD OF STAYED OUT OF IT HE PROJECTED POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING INTO IT MCCAIN DID NO GOOD!

Posted by: angie | Sep 30, 2008 8:56:18 AM

McWar/Falin - the rotting smell of death.

Posted by: clifton | Sep 30, 2008 8:59:36 AM

If it wasn't for McCain the mess would of passed with the billions for ACORN. Where is Mr. Hope and Change? Can't the false Messiah ever do anything but talk?

Posted by: geevill | Sep 30, 2008 9:00:43 AM

He should stay out of his job is that it angie he should be like OBAMA do nothing.I can see your point Thank you I didnt think I could get my head that far up my A$$ but I guess I can

Posted by: reddog0216 | Sep 30, 2008 9:03:14 AM

mccain the white knight fails

thanks for the political stunt you great leader!!!!

fire this guy, and fire the house republicans

let hte dems write their own bill that will protect the voters of america instead of trying to figure out a way to bring the house rethuglicans on board

Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 30, 2008 9:05:20 AM

This is an excellent post , I'm grateful to you , thanks a lot .

Posted by: العاب شمس الدين | Sep 30, 2008 9:05:56 AM

McWar/Falin - the rotting smell of death.

Posted by: clifton | Sep 30, 2008 8:59:36 AM
TYPICAL OBAMA NATION TATIC WE HAVE ONLY LIES TO SPEW SO NAME CALL INSTEAD OF FACTS

Posted by: reddog0216 | Sep 30, 2008 9:06:53 AM

This is an excellent post , I'm grateful to you , thanks a lot .

Posted by: العاب شمس الدين | Sep 30, 2008 9:06:58 AM

Everyone knows McCain wanted credit for the bill to prove that he is a Maverick, a reformer, now that the bill has failed he wants to blame Obama and the Democratic party, it was Bush/McCain and the republicans who failed.

Posted by: lanawonders | Sep 30, 2008 9:07:33 AM

reddog
What is it he did nothing the republicans bailed out Im still trying to figure out who is the leader of the republican party bush has no credibility seems mccain dont either just tell me what he did in washington besides having dinner with liberman and as far as calling it in was he not on the phone all weekend calling it in?

Posted by: angie | Sep 30, 2008 9:07:44 AM

Typical McCain tactic. First he takes credit for the plan, then when it fails he blames Obama! What a shyster.

Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Sep 30, 2008 9:07:56 AM

McCain...McBush....there is really no difference. Both try to take credit for other peoples work and both get caught with their pants down.

BTW McCain, where is your flag pin. You and your party made such a big stink about Obama not wearing one at one time, calling him unpatriotic, now you're never seen wearing one. Does that make you unpatriotic?

Posted by: algwriter | Sep 30, 2008 9:08:33 AM

It's a Republican President; it's the Republican House members who didn't vote in enough numbers to get this done.

Personally, I think this whole mess stinks but the "bailout" has morphed and is less so in the proposed plan. Unfortunately, it needs to happen because we are no longer in a bailout situation - it is a rescue matter now...

Posted by: MIguy | Sep 30, 2008 9:09:00 AM

mccain the white knight fails

thanks for the political stunt you great leader!!!!

fire this guy, and fire the house republicans

let hte dems write their own bill that will protect the voters of america instead of trying to figure out a way to bring the house rethuglicans on board

Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 30, 2008 9:05:20 AM
THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS CANT GET THERE OWN PEOPLE ON BOARD THEY DONT NEED REPUBLICANS THEY 96 OF THEM VOTED NO

Posted by: reddog0216 | Sep 30, 2008 9:09:03 AM

I just checked the poll summary on realclearpolitics.com Of eight major polls, only one had McCain ahead of Obama. The end is near, and McCant and Falin' are going down.

Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Sep 30, 2008 9:10:00 AM

Influential conservatives across the country are calling for Palin to be canned from the ticket. Desperation!

Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Sep 30, 2008 9:11:22 AM

REDDOG
You need to get your head out of your a$$ wake up and see THE REAL JOHN MCCAIN A LIAR AND A PANDER he will say and do anything to win this election even if it means lying to the american people john mccain country first my A$$ hes crumbling look at his campaign a joke look at his vp a joke now he has to resort to lies and attacks on obama he has nothing else the clock is ticking and each tick MCCAIN IS GOING DOWN!

Posted by: angie | Sep 30, 2008 9:12:16 AM

Posted by: angie | Sep 30, 2008 9:07:44
He made sure the republicans were involved in the process .They were not even involved in the deal.Do you know what ACORN is 20% of our money if recovered was to go to them.How about any money recovered goes back to us TAXPAYERS

Posted by: reddog0216 | Sep 30, 2008 9:12:31 AM

When you are in great need, would you prefer a person who tries to help you but fails in his attempt, or one that does not bother to do anything at all?

Posted by: springdale | Sep 30, 2008 9:13:08 AM

The democrats are right to make the republicans step up to the bill so if the bill fails the dems dont get all the blame besides it was there president that has made this mess why should the responsibilty be all on the dems?

Posted by: angie | Sep 30, 2008 9:15:25 AM

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