I don't know Austin… Maybe you should ask “Barack-strap” PWT.

I guess the maliciousness is in the eye of the beholder, huh?

Instead he lies to Dave. Doesn't get on a plane to DC to do important “economic type stuff” and is ridiculed by Dave as he sits in an interview with Couric. Thats what his straight talk has become. And I think Letterman retains enough “average Joe” credibility that people are going to take note. If he is comfortable lying to Dave about a minor thing, do you really think he is going to be upfront with the rest of us when the issues are really important?

When the chips are down and things look grim, McCain panics.

He has covered it up his whole career through bluster and hot-headed aggression but its pretty evident now that he doesn't have the stability of character to lead. His visit to DC is just that, a Photo OP that the media sees through and seems more comfortable to comment about now.

Riiight, Sil. The Dems haven't playing any politics with this have they?

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/pelosi-wont…

“Both sides have their eyes on the looming election and are trying to determine which is worse: voting for a $700 billion bailout for the pinstripe set, or taking the blame for the doomsday scenario that Paulson laid out for congressional leaders last week.”

I cited this article the other day. To think that politics isn't involved with the biggest amount of spending EVER is just plain silly.

No, he interviewed with Katie Couric because it was imperative they take the focus off the disastrous interview with Palin ealier. It worked; the main story became McCain's interview instead of hers.

Per CBS's Bob Scheiffer:
I am told, Maggie, that the way McCain got involved in this in the first place, the Treasury Secretary was briefing Republicans in the House yesterday, the Republican conference, asked how many were ready to support the bailout plan. Only four of them held up their hands. Paulson then called, according to my sources, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is very close to John McCain, and told him: you’ve got to get the people in the McCain campaign, you’ve got to convince John McCain to give these Republicans some political cover. If you don’t do that, this whole bailout plan is going to fail. So that’s how, McCain, apparently, became involved.

I'll say this again: There is no use for John McCain in these negotiations right now. He can help rally the GOP caucus. But he has NOTHING to add to the substantive negotiations between Dodd, Frank, Shelby, Bachus, Bernanke and Paulson. He is a distraction.

Inviting dems to the whitehouse, while dems could otherwise stay clean and far away from associating what Americans perceive as “the problem” (The GOP), the GOP is trying to rub dookie on democrats by making them look allied with the Whitehouse.

I say it's a trap and dems should stay clear the hell away and come up with their own solution that will continue the rise in the polls.

Turning down the presidential invitation to The Whitehouse politely but firmly, and holding a press conference explaining that Pres politics has no place in this important congressional decision would win the hearts of the viewing public and not elicit their disdain. Believe me, people en masse are PRAYING that Congressional democrats snub GWB. It could only result in good for dems.

It also would make McCain look allied with GWB if he's left there standing alone with him at the Oval Office! A thing that would be like the final nail in McCain's political coffin.

Inviting dems to the whitehouse, while dems could otherwise stay clean and far away from associating what Americans perceive as “the problem” (The GOP), the GOP is trying to rub dookie on democrats by making them look allied with the Whitehouse.

I say it's a trap and dems should stay clear the hell away and come up with their own solution that will continue the rise in the polls.

Turning down the presidential invitation to The Whitehouse politely but firmly, and holding a press conference explaining that Pres politics has no place in this important congressional decision would win the hearts of the viewing public and not elicit their disdain. Believe me, people en masse are PRAYING that Congressional democrats snub GWB. It could only result in good for dems.

It also would make McCain look allied with GWB if he's left there standing alone with him at the Oval Office! A thing that would be like the final nail in McCain's political coffin.

well not quite, he went to CBS New York studios to chat with Katie Couric (covering up disastrous Palin interview) and stuck around New York this morning to give a speech while the bailout negotiations and planning were going on. But he will get back to Washington for the very important photo op today at 4pm – not very complicated to see his motives.

He truly is afraid of fielding Obama's questions right now. You don't go into a prize fight with both hands tied behind your back. But also, they're laying a trap for Obama, as usual. They're trying to call him to their turf, to make any decision “his fault” if it goes wrong and “to their credit” if it goes right.

If Obama and other dems go to the Whitehouse, they will be un-lameducking GW Bush and essentially shifting the power of Congress to GW Bush in the eyes of americans. This discussion belongs on the floors of the halls of Congress and nowhere else. To go to the Whitehouse suggests then that GW will either be part of the remedy or allow him the convenience of placing the blame on democrats should anything go wrong.

This undoes the checkmate I talked about yesterday.

I think Congressional leaders and Obama should tell GWB to piss off. If they don't meet there, they will do more good than harm. They should insist that presidential politics stay out of it and that they don't go to presidential politics either.

That's the trap that's being laid for them/Obama.

This is a political gamble nothing more. McCain/Palin: Politics first.

She's in the national spotlight? I'm not sure Obama would want to take her out of it if she is. She seems to be doing Obama more of a favor than McCain (i.e. her appearance with Couric)