Guy With The Biggest Problem

McCain is the guy with the biggest problem these days.

How do you show leadership while supporting a President who has a 16 percent approval rating? How do you reassure your base that you are a true conservative when you vote for a bailout bill that puts the nation in deeper debt, strengthens the hand of government when you are committed to reducing the size of government and the ability of government to intervene in the lives of your people?

However, if you vote against the bill, your Republican friends will not support it either and you run the risk of tanking the entire enterprise. Democrats will pass it anyway? Hardly! The Democrats are tired of doing Republicans dirty work. These Democrats will not pass the bill without getting a significant number of Republicans on the record as being in favor of this bailout legislation. So, get your act together Republicans, swallow hard, and do the right thing.

Voters, beware John McCain's explanation of his actions when he returns to the presidential campaign. He is sure to say something along these lines: "I went to Washington, consulted with the President, talked to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We tweaked the bill to make it better for taxpayers, and I'm pleased to announce that my work paid off. We have passed a bill that will restore taxpayer confidence in the financial system, and as President, I will work with the Congress to continue to tweak this bill which I was able to forge with the help of the President, Secretary Paulson and my colleagues in the House and Senate."

This from a John McCain who has not cast a vote in the Senate since April. This from a John McCain who has not talked even ONCE with Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, about the ongoing work on the bill over the past several weeks. This from a John McCain whose first answer to the problem was, "Don't worry, the economy is fundamentally sound." This from a John McCain whose second answer to the problem was, "If I were President, I would fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission." Never mind that is not an option for the President.