On Thursday, September 25, McCain suspended his campaign to fly to Washington, contribute to the formation of the bailout, and “save the country”–or so he told David Letterman after canceling an appearance on the comedian’s show. On Monday, September 29, Mitt Romney told NBC’s Today Show that the bailout measure “would not have been agreed to had it not been for John McCain.” He praised McCain for his ability to lead in a bipartisan way. However, later on Monday, not only did the bill fail, but two-thirds of House republicans voted against the measure, which Chris Matthews says underscores McCain’s inability to lead his own party, let alone create bipartisan support.

–Erica Landau

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