ABC News: Inside the White House: What Went Wrong?

[Born_A_Truman]

I was trying to get more details on the so-called screaming match at Thursday's WH meeting.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=5895827&page=1

Sources in the Meeting Tell ABC News Why the Talk Turned Into a Screaming Match

(snipped for copyright limit)

Boehner says House Republicans have a different idea: providing federal insurance for mortgage securities instead of buying them outright.

Obama chimes in again, asking Paulson what he thinks about the insurance idea. Paulson says he thinks the idea is unworkable, and adds, "We can't start over."

After 43 minutes, McCain finally speaks. He says there are "legitimate concerns that need to be listened to" and that there has been "significant progress" in incorporating his principles into the bill. "We have one shot at getting this done right," he says. McCain does not get specific. "He said a whole lot of nothing," says one Republican in the room.

Shortly after that, things get a whole lot worse. Rep. Spencer Baucus, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, speaks in favor of the Republican alternative, setting Rep. Barney Frank, the Democratic chairman of the committee, into a rage. Frank accuses Republicans of "sandbagging" him by bringing up a plan he's never seen. There's more shouting. The president brings the meeting back to order and urges everybody to get back together because "we need to get this done." The deciding factor for him on any final deal, he says, is whether or not Hank Paulson says it will work.

(more at the link)

Gotta leave--volunteering to register more voters today.

[rucky]

1. I don't think I'd want to see a pissed off Barney Frank.

at least on the receiving end.

glad he got pissed, though.

[Bucky]

2. I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the image of Bush running this meeting.

I wonder if they checked him for wires first.