McCain Did Not Read Paulson’s Plan!

I first heard about this the other day and wasn’t near a computer to blog about it.  But this article from The New Republic refreshed my memory: McCain Didn’t Bother to Read the Bailout Plan?
Why is this important?  Well – First, it doesn’t show a leader who is paying close attention to the crisis, as well as showing an interest in knowing the details.  Keep in mind, Poulson’s plan was only three pages.  This is not a hard read. 

Second and more importantly, McCain stated yesterday, ““History must not record that when our nation faced such a moment, its leadership was unable to put aside politics and to focus in a unified way to solve this problem. It’s time for everyone to recall that the political process is not an end in itself, nor is it intended to serve those of us who are in the middle of it. In the Senate of the United States, our duty is to serve the people of this country, and we can serve them best now by putting politics aside and dealing in a focused, straightforward, bipartisan way with the problem at hand.”

Here’s the problem.  How can you first make this claim, including that this is the biggest financial concern of our lifetime and not read the initial plan to bail out the Country?  Really – how?  Second, McCain has made a big deal about coming back to Washington to help spur on negotiation.  How informed does he seem to be if he hadn’t read the initial plan?  Even if there is a compeletly new plan on the table.  The contentions and issues between the Executive Branch, the Fed, and Congress are founded in the concerns they initially had with what Secretary Poulson presented.  Understanding that basis and how it affects negotiations and differences is imperative to play a vital and not political role. 

I would maybe give McCain a pass if it was a 300 page document and got a detailed briefing from his advisers.  But 3 pages? That’s bathroom reading, reading on tarmac, or bedtime reading.  Seriously?  He doesn’t have the time to read it.  There has been a theory presented by Obama that McCain may not be able to multi-task very well.  This might be proof.