Congressman
Barney Frank is holding his own as chair of the House of
Representatives Financial Services Committee in the middle
of the most important financial government
intervention in a century. Beyond working 24-7 to
pound out a deal on the $700 billion bailout, he is treating
the nation to the same political wit his LGBT
supporters have long appreciated.
As Sen. John
McCain announced plans to suspend his campaign and
proposed skipping Friday's presidential debate in order to
swoop to into Washington and help with negotiations,
Frank took time out of his meetings to issue a
statement saying he worried about the
"politicalization" of the process. "All of [a] sudden, now
that we are on the verge of making a deal, John McCain drops
himself in to help us make a deal," he said, adding,
"We [are] trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain
campaign." Many Democratic analysts have charged that
McCain's surprising move is a political stunt intended
to stem the steady plunge he has been taking in the polls
over the past two weeks. McCain has not been present
for a Senate vote in Washington since early April;
Sen. Barack Obama cast his last vote in early July.
At President
Bush's behest, both Sens. Obama and McCain were
traveling back to Washington late Thursday to assist in
finalizing legislation, though most analysts agree
that the best thing they can reasonably do is help
marshal the votes to pass the bipartisan bill in the
Senate.
Frank echoed the
notion Wednesday that their presence might well become
more of a distraction than a help. "We're going to have to
interrupt a negotiating session tomorrow between the
Democrats and Republicans on a bill where I think we
are getting pretty close and troop down to the White
House for their photo op," he told TheWashington Post. "I wish they'd checked with
us." Frank also told CNBC Wednesday that the House of
Representatives had reached a deal on a bill that
would likely garner the votes to pass.
Still in question
is the fate of the first presidential debate, which is
due to be held Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern. Responding to
McCain's suggestion that the two candidates should
hunker down in Washington, Obama said he still plans
to be in Mississippi. "With respect to the debates,
it's my belief that this is exactly the time when the
American people need to hear from the person who in
approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing
with this mess," Obama said during a hastily arranged
press conference Wednesday afternoon. "And I think that it
is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more
than one thing at once."
But in remarks to
the Clinton Global Initiative Conference Thursday
morning, McCain appeared to be sticking to his guns, hinting
that the candidates should not prioritize a debate at
a time of economic peril.
"As of this
morning I suspended my political campaign," he said.
"With so much on the line, for America and the world, the
debate that matters most right now is taking place in
the United States Capitol -- and I intend to join it."
(Kerry Eleveld, The Advocate)
More on Frank:
A
Broader Bully Pulpit
As Congress grapples with solutions for a faltering
economy, Barney Frank sits at the center of
power. By John Gallagher, from The
Advocate, September 9, 2008
