- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
The Note: McCain Gamble Leaves Bailout, Debate in Limbo
September 26, 2008 9:11 AM
ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Friday's Note:
OXFORD, Miss. -- Sen. John McCain may or may not have broken the bailout bill -- and surely he didn’t do so all by himself.
But he owns it now.
In the battle over perceptions, it really is this simple: There was a deal before McCain came back to Washington. There was not a deal by the time the evening ended. And now there might not be a bill -- or a first presidential debate Friday in Mississippi.
Holding that very heavy bag are McCain and his GOP colleagues in Congress. Steve Schmidt gets his wish: McCain is in the middle of the action -- amid friendly fire, political gamesmanship, competing loyalties, reelection fights, and a White House with no juice left.
(And, oddly, the whole distraction has an upside for Team McCain: We’re not talking about Gov. Sarah Palin, whose slow media rollout is maybe not going slow enough.)
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.
“Democrats immediately blamed McCain for disrupting the effort at compromise, saying his decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington shifted the klieg lights of the White House contest to the tense and delicate congressional negotiations,” Michael D. Shear and Jonathan Weisman write in The Washington Post.
Oh yes, the debate.
We know that at least half of this strange non-team that saw the bailout bill go from done deal to just plain done Thursday at the White House will be making the trip to Ole Miss.
Sen. Barack Obama’s A team is already in Oxford, Miss., for a debate that would be fraught with symbolism and historical significance even if its very existence wasn’t still in doubt.
“Come hell or high water, we’re going to Oxford,” an Obama press aide said late Thursday, per ABC’s Sunlen Miller.
Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.
ABC News' Hope Ditto contributed to this report.
September 26, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., Dodd, Chris, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Washington | Permalink | User Comments (135)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
McCain/Obama fiddiling while our country BURNS! Nero would be proud of Frank, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner and the rest of these bums! They'd rather bailout a billionaire and give the check to their own constituents. That tells me all I need to know. Every incumbent will NOT get my vote in this election and especially the next one. Call them NOW and gets this awful bailout that makes the War budget look like peanuts, KILLED NOW! Keep calling! Stand up for your children, stand up for yourselves!
Posted by: hmn | Sep 26, 2008 9:22:19 AM
It's not just the bailout, but the joke of the "suspension" of McCain's campaign; stating the seriousness of our economic situation, but not bothering to read the 3 page proposal set forth by his party; lying outright repeatedly; Palin problems; conflict of interest problems; ineptitude and the list goes on and on and on...
Posted by: Amy | Sep 26, 2008 9:22:33 AM
The republicans are simply trying to act like they are doing something, but are really just providing McCain a smoke screen to hide behind, since he's getting his head handed to him on a platter. Now he needs to suspend his campaign why Senator? They didn't during WWII or during the Great Depression or during the Civil War, so why do you need to suspend your campaign??? Oh thats right to play politics and avoid the debate where you knew you'd lose.
Posted by: polarbearkiller | Sep 26, 2008 9:31:22 AM
The story is all over Progressive Talk Radio today about the McCain campaign sending absentee ballot applications to registered democrats or people that have donated to Obama's campaign. These ballots are deliberately misleading and have postage paid return addresses that are for an election clerk that is outside of your city or town. What this will end up doing is either having your vote not counted, or if you return one of these, they will cite you for election fraud, saying that you already voted absentee.
>
> These ballots are only being sent out in 'purple states' and this is a big deal.. This is called voter caging, and is a huge problem.
>
> The McCain campaign is stealing this election as we speak. P lease get this information out to as many people as you can, and tell anyone you know who has received one of these ballots that they need to contact their city election clerk or the supervisor of elections immediately.
>
> Also call the local media and let them know what is going on.
>
> The main stream media is never going to cover this so we have to depend on our ground campaign to get the word out to our voters.
>
Posted by: Minerva | Sep 26, 2008 9:33:23 AM
now we get why he has been involved in costing this country over a trillion dollars ...3 times... over a trillion dollars
three times!!!
s&l Mccain Keating a trillion +
the Iraq War Mccain Bush a trillion +
now Mccain Gramm Davis etc... and his conservative base shoots us in the head
Posted by: dl | Sep 26, 2008 9:34:53 AM
hmn...what is yor suggestion? Do you know that without a decision soon, and not that I want them ti rush it, the financial markets will fail.
This means everyone from the shifty corporate bankers to the mom and pop shop will be cut off from cash flow.
Is there an answer that satisfies every one? I don't know. But walking away doesn't solve the issue.
McCain needs to either step aside or cool down. The Reps were on the threshold of getting everything they wanted, when McCain stepped in, for his own politcial gain.
Nice one John!!!
Posted by: cin | Sep 26, 2008 9:36:51 AM
mccain didnt realize he was going to come back to a revolt amongst the house republicans
the very people who are teh base of the republican party taht didnt like mccain until he picked sarah palin
he now has to figure out a way to win those people over, and bring them to the table
if they continue to say no, then mccain will have failed to be the leader he claimed he was going to be, and also then what does he do
does he show up for the debate?
last night he walked it back a little bit and said he would be there if there was ENOUGH of a deal
so no matter what hes showing
Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 26, 2008 9:39:34 AM
Minerva...you are so right.
I hope the American people are not so stupid as to vote another Rep back into office especially now, with this crisis which McCain has admitted he knows nothing about.( so what was he doing in DC?)
BTW, isn't that why he has Palin? So where is his economic wiz? She was a ground zero looking in the hole.
Posted by: formerhillary | Sep 26, 2008 9:40:58 AM
Minerva, you are full of it.
Posted by: Kitty | Sep 26, 2008 9:44:09 AM
When all the dust settles I can guarantee you Boehner will be history and Ohio will be better for his departure.
Posted by: depravedmaniac | Sep 26, 2008 9:45:15 AM
Bhrandon...so I guess you can see this was ALL a show for McCain? He will be at the debate..and he won't help a darn bit at DC...
Looks like they were pretty close to a deal BEFORE McCain got there.
I am confused as to why he did all this "showboating" unless it was for votes, because he oviously didn't sto camopaining. He was interviewed by Katie Couric, did a speech for his pal Babba, and kept this ads running...NICE..
Posted by: militarymom | Sep 26, 2008 9:45:32 AM
I going to admit...In the beginning I thought McCain suspension of his campiagn was a great political move but watching this poll number go down I guess the American people are smarter then that.
Posted by: Vanessa | Sep 26, 2008 9:47:10 AM
Kitty...it is because of stupid people like you that Bush got elected twice..
Get informed!!!
Posted by: thetruth | Sep 26, 2008 9:47:41 AM
Well out military mom. The act by MCCain is noting more than political postering and distraction from the Palin fiacso. He will show tonite. Unfortunately I will be at a homecoming
football game and will have to catch a repeat. Ah the dedications of mothers.
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Sep 26, 2008 9:49:26 AM
Obama is a jerk. He is completely helpless in this mess -- a graphic example of ineptitude. Think what the shallow one would do if confronted with a serious situation in the White house. Frightening thought!
Posted by: dl | Sep 26, 2008 9:50:55 AM
At the first place I did not care
McCain's age. But now I
care a lot as we all witness unusual
events One after the other.
Posted by: FM | Sep 26, 2008 9:51:16 AM
Who's McCain think that he's fooling --"Country First" my a**; IT'S "POLITICS FIRST"!!! Only this time, the American People will see just how dishonorable he has become [just to get elected]!
Posted by: Howard Gallas | Sep 26, 2008 9:51:42 AM
Why would anyone in their right mind blame McCain if this fails, perhaps they should look at all the add ons the dems are doing. They want to throw on a 56 bil stimulus package, oh it's 700 bil what's another 56 bil. And now I hear that Biden is seeking millions in earmarks...
Posted by: samhiguchi | Sep 26, 2008 9:52:14 AM
John McCain and Sarah Palin have taken 84 MILLION DOLLARS FROM WE TAXPAYERS to run their campaign.
We are expecting to see the two presidential candidates debate on a stage tonight in Mississippi.
Somebody should explain to John McCain that keeping an important committment to the American people is putting country first!
Posted by: Truth Matters | Sep 26, 2008 9:52:56 AM
What a circus, what a bunch of crap!! McCain has made a joke out of the American people.
Posted by: beck | Sep 26, 2008 9:53:04 AM
Post a comment



