A couple more thoughts:
1. Does the bailout need the intervention of McCain and Obama to survive? I'm very skeptical. McCain's move rests on two assumptions: that the bailout is headed for failure, and that the intervention of the candidates would rescue it. I don't buy either one. Barney Frank says the bailout is proceeding quickly, and even Dana Perino agreed. (Sorry no links -- I'm hearing this on television.) And I don't see why the presence of Obama and McCain would matter -- isn't it enough for them to endorse a shared statement of principles, and let their economic advisors handle the details of the negotiations?
2. Coming on the heels of George Will's devastating assessment of McCain's temperament, I wonder if an impression is hardening that McCain is too much of a risk-taker to be trusted as president. McCain's romaticism and flair for the dramatic is fun and thrilling, but kind of scary.
--Jonathan Chait