John McCain decides that working on Congressional action to stabilize the credit markets is a higher priority than campaigning or holding a debate on foreign policy. Harry Reid and Barack Obama respond that the candidates aren’t needed at their Congressional duty stations, because “Congress and the Administration have a process in place to reach a solution to this unprecedented financial crisis”.
The United States Senate used to be called “the world’s greatest deliberative body”. We all know that the sobriquet is obsolete, but did one expect the Senate Majority Leader ever to say, in effect, that Senators are a collection of potted plants whose participation is unimportant to dealing with an “unprecedented financial crisis”?
Either Senator McCain or Senator Obama will soon have to preside over whatever bailout structure Congress puts into place and cope with its consequences. One of them wants to be closely involved in shaping it; the other apparently is happy to wait and see what he is handed.
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