Yup, it is true. Former President Bill Clinton appeared on Good Morning America this morning and defended John McCain. (Politics makes strange bedfellows!)
ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Former President Bill Clinton defended Sen. John McCain's request to delay the first presidential debate,
saying McCain did it in "good faith" and pushed organizers to reserve
time for economy talk during the debate if the Friday plans move
forward.
...
"We know he didn't do it because he's afraid because Sen. McCain wanted
more debates," Clinton said, adding that he was "encouraged" by the
joint statement from McCain and Sen. Barack Obama.
Clinton also commented on the Democrat's accusation that this problem came out of nowhere--we had nothing to do with this. He admitted some responsibility in this mess lies with the Democrats in Congress. (About half way through the clip)
Well... ...the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was President to put in some standards and tighten up a little with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [He also blamed the Up Tick rule.]
I really hope the Congress acts in good faith and not in their typical political way, as in the NO Drill Bill. When Sen. Obama originally stated that he would not come, that "If you need me, call me." if he was needed, I wondered how that would have gone over with the Democrats if Pres. Bush had done that with Hurricane Katrina.
GOPUSA's piece, Bailing out the Bailout, talks about Sen. Reid's flip flop on McCain's presence and what some conservatives hope McCain can do,
...Until
McCain's announcement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seemed
inclined to support the $700 billion bailout bill -- provided Democrats
could lard it with their own goodies -- but only if McCain (and other
Republicans) would support the package and provide the Dems with
political cover.
"I got some good news in the last hour or so ... it appears that
Sen. McCain is going to come out for this," Reid announced Tuesday
evening.
...
Reid's office promptly released a statement that said, "We need
leadership; not a campaign photo-op." So the bailout is worth spending
$700 billion of other people's money -- but not worth McCain flying to
Washington to broker a doable deal? Get the feeling Reid is completely
out of touch?
Now, what if McCain could reduce the size of the bailout? (That is a tall order, but hope springs eternal with me.)
If, however, McCain can broker a more fiscally responsible plan -- read
one with a price tag about half of the original's size or less, and
with a cap on executive pay -- he just might be able to broker a deal
that can pass muster.
McCain is taking a huge chance here. Even just going to Washington to vote on this measure is a risk. One has to wonder if Obama hoped he could duck the whole thing by not going to the Senate to vote at all--a variation on voting, "Present."
Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.
Links:
Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin, Vicki Mckenna
