Jim Bourg/AP

No debate roundup today, simply because there are myriad roundups out there and my voice would add little. However, I do want to touch on the one thing everyone seems to be deeming newsworthy.

Almost right out of the gate, John McCain announced during the debate that he wants $300 billion to “buy up bad mortgages” (full-but-brief details on the plan here). First off, this authority is already part of the current bailout plan, although it’s uncertain whether the government will exercise this right. Secondly, however, McCain also mentioned a “spending freeze” on everything except military, veterans affairs and an amorphous “other necessary projects” (paraphrase).

Which is it, senator? A freeze or a new massive bailout lite? Even the usually lockstep Mitt Romney is wondering, says Marc Ambinder:

Mitt Romney on Fox News struggled to explain how McCain would pay for his new proposal…admitting that he didn’t know, but said that it was important to note that McCain was doing something to alleviate pain. (Romney didn’t seem very convinced.)

Tags: John McCain, Presidential Debate

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 6.11 am and is filed under politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.