NewsBusters reports
Schieffer: Paulson Pleaded for McCain to Save Bailout (follow link for video).
Here was Schieffer speaking with the Early Show's Maggie Rodriguez at 7:05 AM EDT today:
BOB SCHIEFFER: I am told, Maggie, that the way McCain got involved in this in the first place, the Treasury Secretary was briefing Republicans in the House yesterday, the Republican conference, asked how many were ready to support the bailout plan. Only four of them held up their hands. Paulson then called, according to my sources, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is very close to John McCain, and told him: you've got to get the people in the McCain campaign, you've got to convince John McCain to give these Republicans some political cover. If you don't do that, this whole bailout plan is going to fail. So that's how, McCain, apparently, became involved.
Continued Schieffer . . .
SCHIEFFER: He has gotten what he wants, he's going to have this meeting, kind of a summit today with the president and Barack Obama. I'm told that the leaders of both parties are getting close to having some kind of a bill. The question, though, is whether rank-and-file Republicans, especially, are going to vote for this.
...And that's where McCain comes in.
This certainly contradicts the spin that Senator McCain was motivated by politics. The fact remains that no one really knows how this will all play out. No one knows how much of the current events in Washington are influenced by politics. What is known is that there is an economic crisis that needs to be addressed, and the role Senator McCain is playing is significant.
Scheiffer: Paulson Pleaded for McCain to Return to Washington
