Has McCain boxed himself in?

[onenote]

Let's start with the obvious. A lot of voters don't like the idea of any bailout plan. But there is going to be one. Obama has said he supports there being one. Leading Democrats have said they support there being one. And McCain has said he supports their being one. THe main opposition is from repub members of the House.

So, the Dems demand, and ultimately get, concessions that would cap executive pay, phase in the bail out (so its not 700 billion all at once), and get some protection for indvidual homeowners. That may not be enough for the repubs who are opposed to any bailout (and may not be enough to get the public on board either).

Now McCain says he has issues. What sort of issues? He's said there is a crisis and that it needs to be dealt with through a bail out. He can't suddenly join in with the repubs who are opposed to any bailout. If he thinks the proposal on the table is too hard on executives, too easy on individuals, or not rich enough for wall street/banks, the only folks he makes happy are the bankers/wall street types. Not a good place to be. If he thinks the proposal doesn't go far enough -- needs more executive pay restrictions, more assistance for individuals, less money -- he may score some populist points, but he also increases the likelihood that the market's reaction will be negative -- that stocks will fall in response to a revised plan.

What's he gonna do. You. Make. The. Call.

[Brotherjohn]

1. Of course he has "issues". The "issue" of his photo op and credit grab haven't been settled.

That's at 4:00.