McCain "Disrupted Effort At Compromise," Still Refusing To Debate

Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain wanted to be a part of the debate on the financial crisis in Washington, and yesterday he made his mark, as Congressional talks on a bipartisan agreement fell apart yesterday after McCain's arrival.

Democrats immediately blamed McCain for disrupting the effort at compromise, saying his decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington shifted the klieg lights of the White House contest to the tense and delicate congressional negotiations.

Those discussions, which had appeared promising early in the day, culminated in the late-afternoon meeting held by President Bush. But instead of producing a joint statement of success, McCain and Obama slipped out of a gathering that those present described as contentious and unproductive.

"What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours," said an angry Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who had all but declared the deal done earlier in the day. "To be distracted for two to three hours for political theater doesn't help."

The McCain campaign still seems to be standing by his original statement that he will not debate tonight unless a compromise is reached on the issue, which seems ever less likely as time goes on. McCain has previously requested to reschedule the debate to the time of the currently scheduled VP debate, with no word as to when that debate would occur.