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Pres. Bush has summoned Sens. McCain and Obama and congressional leadership to the White House to discuss his plan to bailout the nation's fianancial markets.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush has asked both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama to join him for a meeting at the White House Thursday afternoon to discuss the economic bailout plan, a White House officials said.

"The President called Sen. Obama tonight around 7:30 pm," said Dana Perino, White House press secretary. "The president has invited the bicameral and bipartisan leadership, and the two senators running for president, to the White House tomorrow to work on driving to a bipartisan and timely solution."

Watch: Candidates summoned to D.C.

Obama's campaign said in a statement that he has accepted the invitation.

"A few moments ago, President Bush called Senator Obama and asked him to attend a meeting in Washington tomorrow, which he agreed to do," the statement said.

"He has said that he will continue to work in a bipartisan spirit and do whatever is necessary to come up with a final solution."

A McCain adviser said McCain also plans to attend.

– CNN's Elaine Quijano and Dana Bash contributed to this report.

Bush will deliver his speech Monday at the RNC in St. Paul.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Bush's final GOP convention speech as head of the Republican party will express "gratitude" to his supporters rather than attack Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Friday.

The president is due to deliver his speech Monday at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Perino said it will review "the major issues facing the country, from terrorism and war to the economy and the direction of our culture."

Perino added that in making the case for GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's qualifications, the speech will reflect "on the role of the presidency and the qualities that are demanded by the job" of commander-in-chief.

"In particular, it highlights McCain's unique judgment, perspective and experience to deal with the unexpected, to stand firm on his convictions, put the country above himself and make hard decisions necessary to protect the American people," Perino said.

Despite less than five months left in President Bush's term, Perino said not to expect the speech to define his legacy.

"This is not an opportunity to recap accomplishments of the past seven and a half years," she said. "It will not serve as a farewell to the American people, and it certainly will not attack Barack Obama."

Asked why, Perino replied, "Because he's got class."

She added, "This president knows better than almost any politician in America what it's like to face criticism. He watched his dad as vice presidential candidate for two terms go through that, and then when his dad ran for president, he saw it again, and then in his own campaigns, the two national
elections. He knows what it's like in high political season, and he's not going to respond to every attack."

Watch Colin Powell discuss the presidential race.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican who served under President Bush, said Friday he may not back the GOP presidential nominee in November, telling CNN that “I am keeping my options open at the moment.”

“I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life,” Powell, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “And as I said earlier, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent.”

Powell also offered praise for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, calling him an “exciting person on the political stage.

“He has energized a lot of people in America,” said Powell, who briefly weighed his own run for the White House in the mid-1990s. “He has energized a lot of people around the world. And so I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for.”

Powell, who has largely steered clear of politics since leaving the administration in 2004, noted that the next president will need to work to restore America’s standing in the world.

“I will ultimately vote for the person I believe brings to the American people the kind of vision the American people want to see for the next four years,” he said. “A vision that reaches out to the rest of the world, that starts to restore confidence in America, that starts to restore favorable ratings to America. Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years.”

Programming note: Tune in for the full interview with Colin Powell on “Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer,” airing this Sunday, 11-1 PM, ET.