Lindsey Graham pimps McCain role in bailout: ‘You can’t phone something like this in.’

from Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/28/graham-phone/

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) praised Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for returning to Washington to help the bailout negotiations, saying his presence was vital to the negotiations:

John didn’t phone this one in. … You can’t phone something like this in. Thank God John came back.

Of course, though McCain made much of his rushing back to Washington after Friday’s debate, it turns out that he never went to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers stayed late working on the bailout. The New York Times reports that McCain was at his apartment “until 12:30 p.m. Saturday, when he emerged and made a one-minute trip in his motorcade to his campaign headquarters around the corner.” A McCain aide explained that “he can effectively do what he needs to do by phone.”


____ McCain sent his mouthpiece out Sunday to claim credit: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14032.html

Previewing a McCain campaign message for the days ahead, top strategist Steve Schmidt claimed Sunday that John McCain is partly responsible for the tentative agreement on a mortgage bailout that congressional leaders announced shortly after midnight.

His campaign released a list of 17 phone calls he had made on Saturday, from President Bush 11 House members.

Schmidt argued: “Earlier in the week, when Senator McCain came back to Washington, there had been no deal reached. … What Senator McCain was able to do was to help bring all the parties to the table, including the House Republicans.”


____ But, on ABC’s This Week today, McCain said: http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/john_mccain_teddy_roosevelt_an.html

“I came back because I wasn’t going to phone it in . . . I won't claim a bit of credit,'' he said.

"I came back... It wasn't because of me that the House Republicans got into the negotiating... They did it themselves,'' McCain said, suggesting that others are free to judge the impact of his role in the talks. "I did the best that I could. I came back... I should be doing whatever little I can to help this process...


____ Politico reports: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14015_Page2.html

“As his colleagues worked on the deal at the Capitol Saturday night, McCain and his wife, Cindy, dined with Sen. Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, at Cafe Mozu inside Washington’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel.”

Nevermind his horrible taste in men, you still have to feel a little bit sorry for someone that delusionally devoted to a man he'll never have.

palin

Kind of a Smithers/Burns thing

This scenario reminds me of the Keystone Kops. Running in all directions and knocking each other down in the process. Did he call or didn't he? Did he rush back to help or didn't he?

If this wasn't such an important campaign, this would be comedic relief. However, it is sad. Plain and simply, sad.

and the media is still equalizing

..... at least that way he could get paid for his services.

...always at Gramps side. Both he and Joementum have to be around when the Beer Queen isn't. This dude has become a total lap dog and appologist now...trying to clean up the messes of this cratering campaign.

Gramps thought he could show "leadership"...it's a demon within him we've seen before...be it the Georgia fiasco or ready to run and take full "command" of Hurricane Gustav...he has this need to show his "salt" as a crisis manager to somehow minimalize Senator Obama...and each time he does it, it backfires.

In the past week Gramps has lost 5 points in almost every national tracking poll and bigger dives in critical states. His campaign has gone into sublime mode where it needs distractions to stay "relevant". It's a defensive action to deflect from the real problems with Grandma Barracuda and the real mess that's coming out about Rick Davis. I can't see this scandal staying in the shadows much longer.

It's new fangled technology for McSenile.

His presence is not enough.

. . . was to try and scuttle the bill and replace it with their capital gains nonsense. McCain was a hapless fool, bouncing around, trying to find someone in Washington to actually act like he's their leader. What a joke.