Instead of working towards a fair, effective and appropriate proposal and solution for the credit/mortgage crisis on Wall Street, John McCain's stunt has led to an impasse:

[Senator] Dodd complained that late complications were making the episode sound more like “a rescue plan for John McCain,” the Republican presidential candidate, than one for the country’s financial system. It does no good, Mr. Dodd said, “to be distracted for two or three hours by political theater.”

The senator was apparently alluding to a growing revolt by conservative House Republicans against the proposed $700 billion rescue, and the fact that Senator McCain has not yet endorsed the plan, whose concept runs contrary to the policy positions he has taken for years.

(Emphasis supplied.) Country first my as*.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Unbelievable that Gov. Sarah Palin could be Vice-President of the United States. She's practically sub-verbal and she makes no sense.

Here she is telling Katie Couric the bailout is about health care reform and that reducing taxes must accompany tax reductions. I kid you not.

Transcript below, along with her newest and absurd defense of her Russia is next door comment.

The ACLU today requested the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate its lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan. (Press release will be available here shortly.) The lawsuit charged:

Jeppesen knowingly provided direct flight services to the CIA that enabled the clandestine transportation of the men to secret overseas locations, where they were tortured and subjected to other "forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" under the agency's "extraordinary rendition" program.

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So the Great Photo Op occurred. President Bush was, properly, flanked by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. McCain was at one end. Obama was at the other.

The entire circus was a bad joke. This was a disastrous play by John McCain imo. He looks like a fool playing politics, and lousy politics at that.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

NYTimes:

House and Senate negotiators from both parties said Thursday that they had reached general agreement to move forward with the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion rescue effort of the nation’s financial system.

One plan under consideration would release $250 billion immediately, with another $100 billion available at the discretion of the president. . . . They also said that there would be limits on pay packages for executives whose firms seek assistance from the government and a mechanism for the government to be given an equity stake in some firms so that taxpayers have a chance to profit if the companies prosper in the months and years ahead.

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Sam Stein:

Barack Obama is committed to hosting a public, televised event Friday night in Mississippi even if John McCain does not show up, an official close to the Obama campaign tells the Huffington Post. In McCain's absence, the Senator is willing to make the scheduled debate a townhall meeting, a one-on-one interview with NewsHour's Jim Lehrer, or the combination of the two, the official said.

I bet McCain shows up.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

For those following topics in addition to the economy, which BTD is doing a heroic job covering, here's some news of note:

• Guantanamo proseuctor quits. Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld believed he had evidence showing detainee did not commit charged crime, was precluded from sharing it.

• Military interrogator details new abuses in Iraq he believes were war crimes.

• Condoleeza Rice admits Bush officials held White House talks on CIA interrogations. Update: The Public Record has more.

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According to this AP story, the deal about to be struck between the Bush Administration and Congress will essentially be the Dodd/Dem plan:

President Bush is bringing presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain into negotiations on a $700 billion rescue of Wall Street as Democrats and Republicans near agreement on a bailout plan with more protections for taxpayers and new help for distressed homeowners.

. . . They're still wrangling over major elements, including how to phase in the eye-popping cost — a measure demanded by Democrats and some Republicans who want stronger congressional control over the bailout — without spooking markets. A plan to let the government take an ownership stake in troubled companies as part of the rescue, rather than just buying bad debt, also was under intense negotiation . . . With the administration's original proposal considered dead in Congress, House leaders said they were making progress toward revised legislation that could be approved.

(Emphasis supplied.) Good stuff, but one sticking point that I think creates an opportunity:

It's great to see Senator John McCain with his shoulder to the wheel on the Wall Street crisis by working hard in Washington in the tough negotiations in Congress lying about his regard for President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. He stood there and stated how much respect he had for President Clinton.

That's funny, because I remember when McCain did not have much respect for President Clinton at all: [More...]

The DKos/R2000 poll (9/22-24) has Obama up 6, 49-43. NBC/WSJ poll (9/19-22) has Obama by 2, 48-46. Fox/Opinion Dynamics (9/22-23) has Obama by 6, 45-39.

Gallup Tracker 9/21-23 has Obama by 3. Hotline 9/21-23 has Obama by 6, 48-42. LATimes/Bloomberg 9/19-22) has Obama by 4, 49-45.

ABC/WaPo 9/19-22) has Obama up 9, 52-43. CNN/Opinion Research 9/19-21 has Obama up 4, 51-47. [More...]

While Digby is infuriated by the blatant, shameless hypocrisy of Doris Kearns Goodwin, I personally am happy to see that she has decided to plagiarize some of us on the blogs and has decided to embrace the Politics of Contrast:

GOODWIN:[W]hat FDR did was to say this isn‘t just an election between two men. It is between two doctrines. He laid out the difference between the Republican and the Democratic party, one concerned about government favoring the few and the other one wanting the masses to be sound and that would help the country.

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