Bump and Update: The New York Times reports the Bush meeting was "precipitated" by McCain:

The meeting with Mr. Bush on Thursday was precipitated by a call from Mr. McCain, who cast his request as a matter of urgent national priority. “Following Sept. 11, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis,” he told a small group of reporters, while reading the brief statement from a teleprompter, in a small ballroom at the New York Hilton Hotel. “We must show that kind of patriotism now.”

Could it be any more clear that McCain just made his second Hail Mary pass of this election? Is there anything he won't put second to his personal ambition of becoming President? At least his desperation is becoming transparent to all but his base -- even the media gets it.

Original Post

Bush Invites Obama to Bailout Meeting Tomorrow

ABC News reports:[More...]

President Bush tonight:

“The government’s top economic experts warn that, without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic and a distressing scenario would unfold,” Bush told the nation. “More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account. The value of your home could plummet. Foreclosures would rise dramatically.”

Bush and McCain are as in sync as Henny Penny and Chicken Little:

One day when Chicken Licken was scratching among the leaves, an acorn fell out of the sky and struck her on the tail. ‘Oh,’ said Chicken Licken, ‘the sky is falling! I am going to tell the King.’ So she went along until she met Henny Penny. ‘Good morning Chicken Licken, where are you going?’ ‘Oh, Henny Penny, the sky is falling and I am going to tell the King.’ ‘How do you know the sky is falling?’ asked Henny Penny. ‘I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears, and a piece of it fell on my tail!’ said Chicken Licken. ‘Then I will go with you,’ said Henny Penny.

This is how we got the Patriot Act. Memo to Congress: Act in haste, repent at leisure.

Recently, President George Bush had been doing a Greta Garbo imitation. Personally I would love to leave George Bush alone, if he would leave the country alone. But alas, that is not to be just yet.

Tonight at 9:00 pm, Bush emerges from seclusion to tell the country how important it is that we do something about the Wall Street crisis. I assume he won't be asking for the "clean bill" Treasury Secretary Paulson proposed this weekend. But maybe he will - the man is insane.

In any event. any time we see Bush, it is good for Democrats politically. So welcome back President Bush. We'd like to see more of you the next 40 days. After that, I assure you, we will let you alone.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

This strikes me as just plain weird:

Mr. McCain said that after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York on Thursday, he would return to Washington to work on the bailout package.

(Emphasis supplied.) Can someone explain to me how time is of the essence requiring cancellation of the Presidential debate but it does not require McCain to cancel his appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative?

In the scheme of things, it seems to me a discussion of the credit/mortgage crisis on Wall Street with his opponent to be the next President is a lot more important than his appearance at the Clinton Global Inititiative. Why isn't McCain going to be in Washington TONIGHT?!?? Why is he not going to be in Washington tomorrow?!?!?!

This makes no sense. Clearly this is a stunt by McCain.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed this week took the lead for himself and four other accused terrorists during pre-trial hearings in their military commissions proceeding.

Mohammed, Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi, Walid bin Attash and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are charged with conspiring with al Qaeda to kill civilians in the September 11 attacks. All face the death penalty. While blasting the procedures as an "inquisition" and requesting recusal of the judge, Mohammed also offered to try and convince Ramzi Binalshibh to come out of his cell voluntarily and attend the proceedings. [More...]

Via Kos, SUSA snap polled the McCain debate stunt:

The first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama is scheduled to take place in two days. Should the debate be held as scheduled? Should the debate be held, but the format changed to focus on the economy? Or, should the debate be postponed?

Hold as scheduled 50
Hold with focus on economy 36
Postpone 10

More...

John McCain has made a political gambit today, asking for a delay for the Friday night Presidential debate, saying he needs to be in Washington to do, no one knows what exactly. Obama is responding in a news conference as we speak.

He mentions his idea of a joint statement of principles with Senator McCain outlining where they stand on the Wall Street bailout, arguing that he and McCain seem to have some agreement on the issue. He lists the agreements, while something must be done, what is done must include the following principles - (1) Accountability; (2) Fairness to taxpayers, meaning they should get their money back; (3) mortgage relief for ordinary citizens, not just a bailout for Wall Street; and (4) no windfall for Wall Street executives and companies.

Asked about the Friday debate, Obama reminds that he initiated the joint statement. He states that McCain agreed but also called for a meeting in Washington, and possibly suspending the debates. Obama said he wanted to have the statement first. Then McCain went on TV, with no warning to Obama, calling for a delay of the debates. [More...]

as John McCain has proposed, why not have a discussion about the Wall Street credit/mortgage crisis instead? John McCain can discuss what he thinks is important about it and what we should do about it and Obama can do the same.

If they happen to agree on the issue, so much for the better. When the two people from which our next President will be chosen agree on a solution, then that will be the plan to follow, since one of them will have to live with it come next January 20.

Let's not run away from the issue Senator McCain, let's discuss it for the sake of the American People. Barack Obama should offer this change to John McCain, for the sake of the country.

Greg Sargent agrees with me: "Obama will make a public statement on this shortly -- it'll be interesting to see if Obama calls on McCain to do the debate on other terms. For instance, he could invite McCain to make the debate about the economy, rather than about national security."

(Emphasis supplied.)

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

There is an issue bubbling, at least in my threads, with people claiming to be Democrats telling me how great McCain is on the economy.

No true Democrat believes that. If you are a Republican, well, of course McCain's crazy economic policies will appeal to you. But not if you are a Democrat and claim to have been a Clinton supporter.

Now I have no patience for stupidity, so I suggest those people who want to claim to be Democrats and Hillary Clinton supporters but also claim that McCain is better on the economy not comment in my threads. Such a claim is simply untenable. You can't be a Dem and Hillary Clinton supporter on the economy and claim McCain is better on the economy than Obama. It makes no sense. I have no patience period, but absolutely no patience for that type of nonsense. Maybe J and Chris will accept it in their threads, I will not. Do not bring it there.

This is an Open Thread.

This is great news . . . for Obama:

President Bush might make a televised speech to pressure Congress to approve a $700 billion plan to bail out Wall Street, a White House spokeswoman said. President Bush may address the nation about the $700 billion bailout package as early as Wednesday night.

The president is trying to decide "whether, how or when" to address the nation, spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday. "The American people have questions and a lot of concerns and the president has been trying to answer them."

(Emphasis supplied.) Please, please, please, let it be true. I want to hear Bush "answer the concerns" of the American People about anything. Let's fire up the pictures of McCain with Bush. Bush could bury the Paulson plan and the McCain campaign all in one fell swoop.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

I posted on the WaPo poll that has Obama up 52-43. The trackers also have Obama ahead. Ras has Obama up 2, 49-47. Hotline has Obama up 6. Dkos/R2000 has Obama up 4. Ipsos/McClatchey has Obama up 1. CNN/Opinion Research has Obama up 4. Gallup has Obama by 3. Only Battleground has McCain up 2.

It seems safe to say that Obama has a solid lead and it is because of the economy.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

I think there is absolutely no doubt that Congress will act in some way to address the credit/mortgage crisis Wall Street now faces. The question is HOW do they act. Matt Yglesias writes about the false presentation of the options that proponents of the Paulson proposal are trying to force upon the country:

1. [D]o absolutely nothing in response to the current situation . . . 2. [W]e do exactly what Hank Paulson proposed over the weekend. . . . [P]roponents of the Paulson Plan have an obligation to either make the case for (2), or else to canvass some alternative ways of doing (1) and explain in clear terms why the Paulson Plan is superior to other alternatives. Merely citing the urgent need for action is a transparent effort to foreclose debate.

That transparent effort failed. The Paulson plan is dead imo. In the NYTimes, David Leonhardt writes: