[fortheDeclaration]

It also didn't help that, at least on economic issues, there wasn't much distinction between McCain and Obama during the bailout. I'm convinced that McCain would have won if he had come out against the bailout.

Agreed.

Obama ran as a populist.

McCain cut his own political throat by running back to Washington to cast a meaningless vote that only supported the view that he was linked with Bush.

He could have supported the House Republicans against Bush and shown true independence and what it would be like under his administration.

[NVDave]

Worse than that, McCain ran back to DC to get involved in an issue he clearly does not understand.

Where were McCain’s economic/market advisors? Nowhere to be found. McCain should have known that people vote their pocketbook, yet he had no consistent, cohesive economic plan. He clearly didn’t know anything about the state of the real economy (and like too many on FR, reads only the headline numbers) and clearly has never known jack about the financial markets.