WASHINGTON (CNN)—Now that Congress and lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement on the financial rescue plan, some Senators are beginning to weigh in on how helpful or unhelpful it was to have their collegues John McCain and Barack Obama back in Washington D.C.
"I actually think Senator McCain and Senator Obama were one of the catalysts of this effort," Republican Senator Judd Gregg told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Having them here in Washington highlighted dramatically for the American people just how dangerous this situation was to folks on main street."
Not everyone is in agreement with Gregg. Also appearing on CNN, Senator Chris Dodd echoed a line from many of his Democratic colleagues, saying their presence had the adverse effect.
"Will all due respect," Dodd said. "That delayed and slowed down this process. I think we would have gotten closer to an agreement," had they not come "parachuting in."
He added, "Respectfully, John McCain did not help. In my view, that was a political stunt."
Senator John McCain, who suspended his presidential campaign last week to focus on the financial crisis, said Sunday he was not looking for credit, that Congress and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are the ones who deserve all of the credit for the bailout negotiations.
From CNN Politics
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What are you talking about.......confused by preparations September 28th, 2008 3:05 pm ET. My six yr. ENGLISH is WAYYYYYYY better. SPEAK for YOURSELF ONLY...............................
Sarah is REAL. She connects with the people....hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From what I undersatand, while lawmakers were working through the night on Saturday, McCain and Lieberman were having dinner out on the two. That doesn't sound likeMcCain was being very helpful.
"If they need me, they'll call me." How proactive. How Presidential.
McBush, McGimmick, Captain Maverick, Mighty Mouse?,
What are all of you 12?
CNN- when are you actually going to start moderating this thing. Clearly you are and blocking all pro McCain comments, or, anything intelligent for that matter!
Hey Obamabots.... the "repugs" as you call them do NOT want this bailout.
It is the DEMOCRATS- as usual- who want to pump in Tax payer money to bail us all out.
So stop blaming McCain and start looking at Obama.
BOTH HILLARY CLINTON AND JOHN MCCAIN WARNED ABOUT THIS MESS 2-3 YEARS AGO.
WHERE WAS SMART, BRILLIANT OBAMA? OBAMA WAS IN THE US SENATE BACK THEN AND WHAT DID HE DO?
I think you have to have some ideas of your own, some viewpoints you can express eloquently, before you can be viewed as an agent of change. Running around, injecting politics into procedures, throwing monkey wrenches into delicate mechanisms that you don't understand is probably not as helpful as it is disconcerting. Sorry John.
SPEND 700 BILLION ON MAIN STREET PEOPLE,
who have been victims of loan-sharking, job-exporting, war-profiteering, commodity-speculating, labor-exploiting, treasonous money grabbers on wall street!
majority of the people will be BETTER OFF in any new system
after this IMMORAL CRIMINAL SYSTEM shatters into pieces!
Obama did not even warn us of this meltdown.
Hill did.
John did.
Hey Obamabots.... the "repugs" as you call them do NOT want this bailout.
It is the DEMOCRATS- as usual- who want to pump in Tax payer money to bail us all out.
So stop blaming McCain and start looking at Obama.
BOTH HILLARY CLINTON AND JOHN MCCAIN WARNED ABOUT THIS MESS 2-3 YEARS AGO.
WHERE WAS SMART, BRILLIANT OBAMA? OBAMA WAS IN THE US SENATE BACK THEN AND WHAT DID HE DO?
mcnasty did NOT "suspend" his campagin. all he did was ask us to suspend our disbelief.
McCain was grandstanding trying to get attention off this failing campaign... and I believe from what I see...
There are MORE items in this Proposal and more being implemented in this that OBAMA has mentioned he wanted in it LONG before this trip to Washington to meet. I have YET to hear anything on McCain on what he wanted in this Proposal and from what we have heard before he hasnt really mentioned anything or instigated anything.
Just SUPPOSIDLY Bringing people together doesnt cut it, if there is NOT a LEADER who is imputing IMPORTANT information that we the American People want To Help US not the Big Businesses.
Obama can bring people together, just as good as anyone!! But the MAIN thing here.. is I see much of Obamas IDEAS in this, NONE of McCains!!! That is what a LEADER is for!!
Obama/Biden 08
OH and I cannot wait til the VP Debate to see Palin FAIL Miserably!!
She makes all these Statements that make people CRINGE!! ANd as Always there is McCain picking up all the pieces..."OH SHE DIDNT MEAN THAT"... Yeah right!! What is this going to be like with them in the White House? Does a President really need to BABYSIT his VP all the time?? Geesh!!!! They cannot even be on the same page half the time.
Once again the WINNING, most COMPLETE, most RATIONAL choice is Obama/Biden 08!!!
I JUST HAVE A QUESTION!!!!
HOW CAN THE SAME PEOPLE THAT RAPED
OUR NATION & ECONOMY, ACTUALLY GET
THE NERVE WITH OUR MORONIC PRESIDENT TO
GET UP & ASK US TO REPAIR AN ECONOMY THEY
THEMSELVES DESTROYED WITH RUN AWAY SPENDING
FOR IRAQ & THE SCUMBAGS THAT COLLECT $.25 ON
EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON OUR ENERGY ??????
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION & ITS SUPPORTERS
SHOULD BE SENT TO EITHER ALBA OR PRISON.
If they are supposed to "look" presidential, then they shouldn't be jetting off to go tinker. It's not the President's job to come up with the plan – that's what they have "advisers" for. The President should be setting priorities, not writing the plan. Obama seemed to trust that his colleagues/advisers would come up with something that could then be tweaked or voted on. McCain flew back to micromanage and get photo opps.
As President, would McCain want to go stand in Iraq to give orders? Will he be haunting the halls of Congress to give advice on how a bill should be written? He can't be in the middle of every last detail – nothing will ever get done!
Obama/Biden
America ask yourself objectively, how confident is Mccain of palin? He thought it was necessary to go to Washington to help with the bailout. Whether you agree with that belief or not how come palin could not run the campaign temporarily? Seems to me if mccain thought she could be president or even vice president surely she could run the campaign for a day and a half.
to: Soe Naing....
Even if we follow your theory that 100 senators request (and obtain) these "earmarks"... $99 billions dollars in three years may seem a lot of money... But put into contest it's less than 9 months of spending for the war in Iraq.
To me it appeared that one candidate behaved in a manner befitting a President, and the other ran around like a headless chicken. Obama was the former and McCain the latter.
What is John McCain going to do if he is elected (please no!) and he faces a crisis that requires legislation such as we've seen this week? Is he going to zoom into the Capitol every time and look over the legistators' shoulders to see what they're doing? Or is he going to make it clear to them what needs to be done, and encourage them to get on with their job?
Obama was fully in touch with what was brewing in Wall St when McCain was touring the nation telling people the fundamentals of the economy were strong.
I am just beyond amazed that anyone in their right mind thinks that McCain has a clue, or is remotely capable of leading this nation effectively!
It is a tough situation for the candidates because, whoever wins, will inherit the mess.
However the process could not be stopped because, whoever wins, could inherit a bigger mess if it did stop.
I am glad to see that, whoever wins, had the foresite to consult with some of the best minds available so that, if they were consulted they would be able to give direction as to what, whoever wins, wanted to see happen to ensure that the mess was minimized. So, even though, whoever wins, efforts were not visible, I think that they were thought about.
I also think that the mess was not as big a deal as, whoever will not win, thinks it is. After all, if someone;s business is so strapped that he needs short term solutions before all this onfolds, then that business was not run very effectively and will be part of the 'thinning of the herd' that occurs on these occasions.
As a post script...
I am glad to see that, whoever wins, doesn't seem to feel compelled to muzzel his running mate. After all, he has always stated that he wants someone with him who speaks his mind.
Opps... guess I should have said her mind!!
I Will Be Voting For McCain / Palin , Like Amost All Americans I Have Already made Up My Mind . I'm A Democrat , And A Vote That Would Most Likely Go To The Democratic Nominee This Election , Will Go To The Republican Canidate John McCain .
McCain/Palin 2008 !!!!!!
So let me get this right.
McCain said the fundamentals of the economy were strong, then he reversed himself when the poll numbers were bad for him and suspended his campaign. He got into a photo op, which was destructive for the negotiations, so after the debate he stayed at his Virginia headquarters and made phone calls from there.
Obama has been speaking to Paulson and congressional negotiators every days for a couple of weeks, calling them several times every day behind the scenes. As soon as the Paulson plan was announced, Obama announced a series of principles which should be incorporated into the bill, and they were included.
So who has helped the negotiations? Who understood what needed to be done? And who flailed around in public to try to get attention for themselves?
I can understand why John McCain seems totally confused all the time being as old as he is and having to watch over his inexperienced running mate.
Rasmussen Report Poll for Sunday— Obama 50%; McCain 44%
Gallup Daily 9/28: Obama 50%; McCain 42%
You can’t fool the American people with spin and photo ops any more. They're watching too closely now to buy into the rhetoric of these campaign strategists.
I SWEAR TO GOD, COUNTRY & EVERYTHING
THAT'S HOLLY, THE ENTIRE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
AND ALL ITS SUPPORTERS BELONG IN PRISON.
McCain, you put the entire democratic process in jeopardy with your "white knight" stunt this week. Stop the attention-getting gambits; they make fools of everyone, at exactly the wrong times.
Further, stop shielding Gov. Palin. We remember you mixing up Sunn and Shia, your inexcusable "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran," your still-unbelievable "fundamentals are strong," and many, many more shocking pronouncements. We do not like the sneaky manner in which you seek to turn those mistakes around; demonstrates bad character. Palin will make mistakes as well, but let us see how she handles them. Good night, gran'pa.
McCain: You are losing credibility fast, but there is no need to take her down or the entire process.
This debaut was not interesting and nothing help, Both have no any proposals. Obama just usuallly blahahblahh
I want to know why CNN isn't posting my comments! What's up with that CNN?
ELECT STUPID.
YOU GET A DISASTER.