Legal Commentary

Why The GOP Blew Up The Deal: McCain's Political Stunt

By Big Tent Democrat

NYTimes reports:

In the Roosevelt Room after the session, the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr. . . . pleaded with Nancy Pelosi . . . not to “blow it up” by withdrawing her party’s support for the package over what Ms. Pelosi derided as a Republican betrayal. [Pelosi responded] “[i]t’s not me blowing this up, it’s the Republicans.” Mr. Paulson sighed. “I know. I know.”

It was the very outcome the White House had said it intended to avoid, with partisan presidential politics appearing to trample what had been exceedingly delicate Congressional negotiations. . . . [A] top aide to Mr. Boehner . . . , Kevin Smith, said Republicans revolted, in part, because they were chafing at what they saw as an attempt by Democrats to jam through an agreement on the bailout early Thursday and deny Mr. McCain an opportunity to participate in the agreement.

(Emphasis supplied.) So Republicans ADMIT that they blew up the deal because it "den[ied] McCain an opportunity to participate in the agreement." The admissions is shocking and revealing. John McCain and the Republicans blew up this deal to further McCain's own political ambition. Country first my ass.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 26, 2008 (boomark / email).