Obama, McCain: Together for a day

by Mark Silva

The dance of the presidential candidates has been, in recent days, something of a clumsy step.

They have met in debate -- though Republican John McCain appeared to be doing his level best to avert eye-contact with Demorat Barack Obama.

No slight intended, McCain said later.

They have met at the White House -- seated at opposite ends of a conference table in the Cabinet Room of the West Wing with the president whom each hopes to succeed -- summoned for a session with congressional leaders on an unprecedented government intervention in an ailing economy.

Yet McCain, who "suspended'' his campaign that day for the trip to Washington, has been criticizing Obama for "phoning it in'' -- keeping a "sideline'' stance on the crisis.

Obama insisted that he was as deeply involved in the bailout -- make that, rescue -- negotations as McCain was.

Both, it turned out, were in agreement on one point, the inevitable need for action such as this to avert a financial crisis.

And both proved readily amenable to the newest sweetener in the deal: A boost in the federal insurance that the government provides for every bank-account holder in America.

So they both came back to Washington today, summoned by the Senate in which the two serve, Obama the junior senator from Illinois, McCain the senior senator from Arizona, to vote on that bailout.

And they will leave soon,for the continuation of a campaign that will be dominated Thursday night by the televised debate of their running mates.

The two passed through town briefly, to cast the same vote on the same issue, perhaps the last coordinated step these two will take in the remaining month's dance of a historic election campaign.

(Photo of Obama checking into a hotel in Washington today by Alex Brandon of AP. Photo of McCain stepping off his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by Mandel Ngan of AFP.)