Liberals are trying to make it look like there was already a "deal" yesterday to pass bailout legislation -- and that McCain simply air-dropped in to get publicity.
Here is Obama strategist David Axelrod:
“From what I can see, Representative Bachus stepped out with the Democrats yesterday and said there was a deal, a framework for a solution. Senator McCain showed up in Washington, 24 hours after he declared he was suspending his campaign to go to Washington, and chaos rained for 24 hours here, and now I think I’m glad the House Republicans and the Republicans are stepping back into the negotiations. I hope something gets done quickly.” (MSNBC’s “News Live,” 9/26/08)
But Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) said “there was progress … but no agreement.” This is the LA Times:
“The seesaw series of events began late Thursday morning, when key congressional negotiators from both parties announced the outlines of a compromise. ‘We’ve reached a fundamental agreement on a set of principles,’ said a triumphant Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.). ‘We’re very confident that we can act expeditiously.’ But one of the GOP negotiators, Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, later sounded what turned out to be a prophetic note. ‘There was progress on many issues, but no agreement other than to continue discussions,’ he said, adding, ‘As I made clear in the meeting this morning, I was not authorized by my colleagues to make any agreement on behalf of House Republicans.’ Almost immediately, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) made the GOP position explicit: ‘House Republicans have not agreed to any plan at this point,’ he said in a statement.” (Richard Simon, Maura Reynolds and Nicole Gaouette, “Bush Says Action Needed Now On Bailout,” Los Angeles Times, 9/26/08)
Of course, the Democrats are saying that the deal was already made, in an effort to make McCain look silly ...
Watch the tape: