Apparently, getting elected IS more important to McCain than 'doing the people's business'

[bigtree]

So, McCain Flies into D.C., Disrupts Work in Progress, and Ducks Out Saying Roy Blunt's in Charge; Desperate to Appear in Tonight's Debate


IT'S become clear that the reason McCain injected himself into the financial negotiations in Washington was to scuttle them on behalf of his republican cronies in Congress.

It was obvious to anyone who had been paying attention to the negotiations underway that McCain did not intend to 'help' move legislation along, as he promised when he came on television with a quavering voice and pretended to 'suspend' his campaign for the good of the country -- it was crystal clear that McCain had come, instead, to interfere as he made his very first visit on the Hill to the office of republican Majority Leader Boehner, instead of making any attempt to reach out to the lead negotiator in his own party who had already gone before the cameras to declare that a deal was imminent.

Now McCain, having successfully driven the negotiating process into the ditch with his grandstanding interference, is desperate to leave his taxpayer-funded campaign platform in Washington and is hurrying to reclaim his seat at the debate tonight to help boost his sagging poll numbers. At 9:30 this morning he reportedly called House republicans and pleaded with them to "deal" so that he could peel away from his pledge to stay focused on the outcome in Washington.

In McCain's statement, declaring that he would, indeed, attend tonight's debate, McCain assures that the outcome of the legislative process underway in D.C. (that he had said he should be involved in "until this crisis is resolved") is in the safe and capable hands of, none other than, disgraced crook, Tom DeLay's partner-in-crime, ROY BLUNT.

Blunt is one of the main characters in Congress who fought and voted in 1999 to roll back banking regulations by repealing the Glass-Steagall Act. In the House, Minority Whip Blunt led among the leadership with $78,500 in donations from Fannie and Freddie. This is the man McCain has faith enough in to abandon his D.C. rescue act and return to admitting he's still campaigning

here's the McCain campaign statement announcing his retreat from his farce: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/debate-is-on/

(John McCain) is optimistic that there has been significant progress toward a bipartisan agreement now that there is a framework for all parties to be represented in negotiations, including Representative Blunt as a designated negotiator for House Republicans. The McCain campaign is resuming all activities . . .

WaPo reported that McCain spent 90 minutes on the Hill this morning (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/26/mccain_spends_90_minutes_on_th.html):

"Aides said he left his Crystal City condominium and arrived at the Senate at 9 a.m. His motorcade left to return to his Arlington headquarters at 10:30 a.m. In between, he spent about 15 minutes at Sen. Mitch McConnell's office and then moved to Rep. John Boehner's office."


McCain blew into town and disrupted negotiations already making progress, encouraging the very Washington game-playing that he's claimed to be averse to. McCain had to fly to Washington, to the White House and to the Capitol, to find out where he stands.

Harry Reid said this morning in a press conference he held with his equally annoyed partner Chris Dodd, that 'We still don't know where McCain stands . . . all he wants to do is stand in front of the cameras."

'Standing in front of the cameras' is precisely what McCain has decided to do as he races to Ole' Miss to reclaim his seat in tonight's debate. Hopefully, someone will take the time to ask McCain just what he accomplished with all of his frenetic grandstanding about suspending his campaign. Despite his pledge days ago that he was "committed" to "temporarily set politics aside," the 24 hrs. or so that he spent flailing around Washington looked, to most observers, like a campaign in full meltdown.

[Wetzelbill]

1. Nicely done

I'd like to see people write a touch more about just how he interfered, I think that's interesting. It sounds like the guy sat there like a bump on a log in that WH meeting, and then put forth something absolutly ridiculous with the House Republicans and it disrupted the whole deal. Not only that, he never even called the Republican lead negotiator, nor did he do much all week but flop around nonsensically on the subject, saying he'd fire Chris Cox etc, and he admittedly he never read Paulson's proposal. He was never ever part of the process, isn't a member of the comittee involved, it's all absurd. Bush saved the guy. He had nothing to do until Bush called Obama and forced a White House meeting. McCain couldn't attend the committee meetings or anything, he wasn't part of the process. I still can't fully understand how somebody could be so reckless.

[bigtree]

2. That's the story I'm waiting for too

The talks at the White House, led by Mr Paulson and US President George W Bush, then descended into what one participant described as "a full-throated discussion".

"Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was unwilling or unable to offer any specific policy suggestions John McCain contributed to negotiations on the economic bailout package.

Earlier in the day, Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican, confided to a Fox News interviewer that McCain's presence in Washington -- and with it the insertion of presidential politics into delicate negotiations over the bailout -- had added "a tension and distraction that candidly is not healthy."

Reporters pressed McConnell at least three times to offer specific advice or suggestions McCain had contributed during the negotiations. He continued to insist that McCain's presence had been "constructive" and refused to say anything more.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/GOP_leader_wont_detail_McCain_contributions_0926.html

Obama said leaders in Congress had appeared to be closing in on agreement before he and McCain arrived to take part in the White House talks.

"Something happened in the intervening hours," he said.

[bigtree]

3. kick

:kick:

[Wetzelbill]

4. I'd write a column on it myself

But I am much laxier than you, lol. Thanks for the link.

At least Corker was candid. Honestly, I can't say I'd be too happy if I had spent days barely sleeping working on this stuff and then had somebody, even of my own party, come in and totally screw up a deal.

[Wetzelbill]

5. kick

[bigtree]

6. thanks for the kick :) here's an account of what happened at the WH

Here's an account of what happened, based on conversations with several of those present, both Democrats and Republicans:

The first sign of trouble: Twenty minutes before the White House meeting, Treasury Secretary Henry "Hank" Paulson calls House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to say there are problems with the agreement reached earlier in the afternoon. Pelosi is miffed. Democrats believed the issues Paulson raised had already been resolved.

President Bush opens the meeting at 4 p.m., quickly turning it over to Paulson who gives a status report on the markets and says, "We need to get this done quickly." Paulson turns it over to Pelosi, who defers to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, who defers to Sen. Barack Obama. Obama starts things off for the Democrats by reiterating his principles on what the plan should include. Obama agrees with Paulson on the need to act quickly but says some on the Hill "don't understand the need for the rush." Some of the Republicans took this as an attack on them.

Obama then defers to Sen. John McCain, but McCain defers to House Republican Leader John Boehner to speak on behalf of the Republicans. Boehner says House Republicans have "a lot of problems" with the plan and "most of my caucus is not there."

At this point, the meeting is still fairly cordial. Pelosi even compliments the president on his speech Wednesday night. But the meeting starts to devolve.

After some more give and ake, Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, presents a five-page list of 192 economists and business school professors who oppose the plan. Bush isn't impressed. "I don't care what somebody on some college campus says," Bush says. Instead, he says he trusts Hank Paulson, who, he says, has more than 35 years of experience and access to more information than those academics on Shelby's list.

Boehner says House Republicans have a different idea: providing federal insurance for mortgage securities instead of buying them outright.

Obama chimes in again, asking Paulson what he thinks about the insurance idea. Paulson says he thinks the idea is unworkable, and adds, "We can't start over."

After 43 minutes, McCain finally speaks. He says there are "legitimate concerns that need to be listened to" and that there has been "significant progress" in incorporating his principles into the bill. "We have one shot at getting this done right," he says. McCain does not get specific. "He said a whole lot of nothing," says one Republican in the room.

more: http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=5895827

[Time for change]

7. That just about says it all

The good news is that people are catching on to "the straight talk express". McCain is slipping badly in the polls:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/