Awesome quote from John Kerry on McCain's suspension of campaign

[beachmom]

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/paulson-senate-dems-reach-tentative-bailout-deal-2008-09-24.html

Senate Democrats emerged from a meeting Wednesday with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to report a general, conceptual — but fragile — agreement on a $700 billion plan to rescue the U.S. financial markets.

Senators said Paulson and the Democrats struck very tentative deals on Democratic demands on oversight and transparency, executive pay limits, and equity interest on taxpayers’ behalf as part of the massive plan. A hard-fought Democratic provision to allow bankruptcy judges to revise mortgage terms was not likely to survive the horse-trading, however, as Paulson would not agree to the provision that is already in the House and Senate versions.

...

Senators described a very somber, serious meeting, with Paulson describing the risk of inaction and working hard to sell the plan to skeptical Democrats during the closed-door caucus meeting. Paulson said unemployment rates could approach 10 percent if the plan was not adopted, senators said, although he did indicate possible receptiveness to the idea of implementing it in stages. Such a plan, Paulson told senators, has worked in countries like Japan, where financial rescue plans were done in stages.

“He talked about the risks in the markets, the risk of the financial system locking up, the risk of companies not being able to borrow money, the risk of major firms failing, the risk of a substantial increase in unemployment,” said Conrad.

Presidential politics hung thickly throughout the meeting, held just hours after Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) announced he was suspending his campaign and returning to Washington to participate in the debate. McCain has urged his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to do the same and postpone Friday night’s planned debate, but Obama has refused.

Democrats defended that decision Wednesday night, accusing McCain of an attempt to inject presidential politics into the process with his presence, and that the debate should be held.

“The American people need to hear from both candidates,” said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the party’s 2004 presidential nominee. “This notion of rushing to Washington and grandstanding, frankly, is I think inserting presidential politics right into it. It’s silly and impulsive and erratic and doesn’t do justice to the process of running for president.”

Kerry noted that McCain doesn’t even sit on the Senate’s Banking or Finance committees.

“To the best of my knowledge, he doesn’t serve on any of those committees,” Kerry said.

He just totally NAILED him there, didn't he?

[fedupinBushcountry]

1. Nailed him, is right

You need to post that in GDP.

[beachmom]

2. Good idea.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7175806

[JI7]

3. i don't know how anyone can not see through this

Paul Begala said on CNN that just a few days ago he was talking about how the fundamentals of our economy are strong and now he is saying everything is so bad he can't campaign, can't debate.

Begala kept using the term erratic . maybe we should also. and that is not a term you want to be associated with when people are concerned about the economy.

i love that Kerry pointed out that he doesn't even sit on the banking or finance committees.

[Inuca]

4. Silly, impulsive and ERRATIC

Not the first time JK uses that last description, and it's very appropriate and SCARY. Two related types of comments that I heard yesterday and found very appropriate were 1. what EXACTLY would McCain do? This coming from various pundits. What exactly would the cameras following him see? And if he gets stubborn and actually does not come to the debate, what exactly would he be doing at 9pm tomorrow? The 2nd comment came from Schumer and I think another senator (Reid? Dodd? maybe Barney Frank), basically saying that the negotiations are a very complex and fragile process and that McC's presence would be disruptive rather than helpful. One of them, Reid I think, sounded very close to offended, saying something along the lines of "we know what we are doing here, and do not need anybody parachuting in to show us the way".

This whole thing is becoming absolutely SURREAL!

And completely OT, I am starting a new job in a week, for the last several months I was at home, first as vacation, and the last month unemployed (and without health insurance, scary!), and it will be difficult to settle into a schedule where I will not be able to follow this fascinating and infuriating, at times demoralizing, at others uplifting drama almost 24/7 (to my husband's oft expressed frustration as to my obsession with politics, but that's a whole different story :-)).