Ominous clouds over Washington.

I'm procrastinating. And reading.

About the bailout:

What a fantastic picture. It tells the story of how most people feel when they think about Washington: scared. What will happen next?

"Nobody wants to have to support this bill, but it's a bill that we believe will avert the crisis that's out there," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.

But the bill did draw some opposition during the morning debate.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said the measure would leave a huge burden on taxpayers. "This legislation is giving us a choice between bankrupting our children and bankrupting a few of these big financial institutions on Wall Street that made bad decisions," he said.

Other conservative Republicans argued the bill would be a blow against economic freedom.

Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., said the bill posed a choice between the loss of prosperity in the short term or economic freedom in the long term. He said once the federal government enters the financial market place, it will not leave. "The choice is stark," he said.

But there were also Democrats who opposed the bill for not doing enough to help those who taxpayers facing foreclosure or needing unemployment benefits extended, or taxing Wall Street to pay for the rescue package.

"Like the Iraq war and patriot act, this bill is fueled by fear and haste," said Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas.

-CNN.com
Bailout plan rejected
House leaders scramble for support for controversial Wall Street plan
by Chris Isidore
September 29, 2008

And about the candidates:

Mr. McCain defended himself from critics who said he had acted impetuously by returning to Washington last week to work on the bailout proposal, which some said had made a deal more difficult.

“Some people have criticized my decision to put my country first, but I will never, ever be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis,’’ said Mr. McCain. And Mr. McCain, who spent this weekend in Washington working the phones, but did not actually return to Capitol Hill , said: “I know that many of you have noticed, but it’s not my style to simply ‘phone it in.’ ”

-The New York Times
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Caucus - The New York Times Politics Blog
Palin Says She Is Looking Forward To Debate
by Michael Cooper

Also, Sarah Palin is currently at "debate camp" where she is "catching up" on foreign policy issues she's never faced before. You're running for VP and you know less than most Americans about foreign policy?

She debates Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden on Thursday.

Here's a question CNN.com commenter brought up: If McCain were to win the election, are we going to send her to Vice President camp, too? Hand-holding is unacceptable. Sarah Palin is unprepared and, as some people are suggesting, should be removed from the ticket.