but you used it as justification for McCain to come to the meetings. If all Reid was asking for was McCain's position/opinion,

Actually I don't think it was necessary to justify
McCain's attendance with an invite. I used the video to respond to someone's elses assertion that Reid only asked McCain and Obama to stay away. That was Reid's second communication, not his only one.

It looks to me that what he chose to do was not at all constructive to the process.

Depends on whose process you mean, and what McCain's point was in becoming involved. If he intended to sink the original proposal, or to raise up the GOP proposal, then its possible he somewhat succeeded.

As to whether his and Obama's involvement is valued added still remains to be seen. From the rest of the posts at OTB, I can't don't get a real good impression of whether the bail-out was really needed or not.

...and I didn't state that the video said that either.

but you used it as justification for McCain to come to the meetings. If all Reid was asking for was McCain's position/opinion, then this video does not contradict his later request for McCain and Obama not to make a showy appearance and inject presidential politics into the negotiations.

I also said the McCain 'chose' the right thing to do...

It looks to me that what he chose to do was not at all constructive to the process. He did not add anything constructive to the negotiations yesterday. He offered no support for any of the measures of either of the competing plans while giving behind the scenes support to a plan with only a core of far right support. This does not look like the actions of a man who is both competent and trying to make sure a compromise plan is agreed to quickly (his stated goal).
It does look like is that whatever plan emerges will be unpopular even if deemed necessary and McCain appears more concerned about his campaign than his stated mission in DC.

not that he needs McCain to come in and try to hammer out details.

...and I didn't state that the video said that either.

Yes and that something was to make his official position known. McCain would be able to effectively rally Republicans to derail a bill or to help garner enough Republican support to get a bill with at least the appearance of bipartisanship.

and he did say that he wanted the Republican leadership (which would include McCain) to support it and get the votes.

I also said the McCain 'chose' the right thing to do, not that he was looking to take direction from Reid.

But, in his own way Reid did demand that McCain do something.

Yes and that something was to make his official position known. McCain would be able to effectively rally Republicans to derail a bill or to help garner enough Republican support to get a bill with at least the appearance of bipartisanship. A bill of this magnitude needs to appear bipartisan or it will not pass, so his position needs to be known (as does Obama's).

McCain adds nothing else of value to the negotiations in process. By his own admission he knows very little about the economy. The only productive thing he can do is cheerlead for what he thinks is the best bill* and he doesn't need to be in DC for that. The circus of presidential politics McCain and Obama inevitably bring wherever they go will not help to bring negotiations to a swifter or better resolution. Why can't you just admit that this is political theater rather than real nuts and bolts problem solving?

* I am not so certain that would be so productive.

It should be obvious that delaying the debate would allow one or both candidates to give their full attention on the bailout legislation.

This isn’t a big deal for a candidate that doesn’t do any of the work himself but just votes how his advisors tell him and doesn’t get involved in the details. Not to mention if he is the one going around convincing others to vote for or against the bill. All of which takes time. Now for a candidate who does all those things could benefit from a delay.

The debate Friday is supposed to be on foreign policy and national security. There is no reason why that can’t be put off for a few days.

I haven't seen it on the web, but NPR this morning was reporting that the topic of the debate had been changed to the economy.

If we don't have a bailout bill approved by then, it would be a great opportunity for the candidates to explain the available options to the American people, declare which option(s) they favor, and make their case for why it's better. The current President already did that last night, but it's just as relevant (or more so) to know what the future President thinks about it.

Besides, what does canceling or delaying having the debate accomplish?

There is no reason why that can’t be put off for a few days.

Yea, and there is no reason it cannot go on as scheduled, unless you happen to be tanking in the polls and in need of a good photo op.

We are pretty close to a deal this morning. Let the guys who are actually doing to work finish it up and leave political grandstanding out of a volatile situation...

(let us remember that McCain had planned to use a devastated New Orleans as a backdrop for his acceptance speech, but there was not enough destruction to make for good political theater and he had to change his plans)

The Late Show with David Letterman is tape at 4:30 p.m.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Show_with_David_Letterman
It was all over the news and on the Drudge report long before then.

Maybe that's why Reid called on McCain to return to be part of the process and not Obama.

Hmm, that must have happened in some alternate universe...

Actually, this is what Reid said (boils down to "Thanks John, but no thanks"):

This is a critical time for our country. While I appreciate that both candidates have signaled their willingness to help, Congress and the Administration have a process in place to reach a solution to this unprecedented financial crisis.

I understand that the candidates are putting together a joint statement at Senator Obama’s suggestion. But it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy. If that changes, we will call upon them. We need leadership; not a campaign photo op.

If there were ever a time for both candidates to hold a debate before the American people about this serious challenge, it is now.