(T)his morning, Senator Christopher Dodd and Representative Barney Frank—the two lead congressional Democrats on this issue—were telling reporters that a deal was close. But according to House sources, those claims were nonsense. “This was a smart political move by Senator McCain—working in a bipartisan fashion to try to get something done,” says a senior House Republican aide. “It’s something he’s done in the past.” Democrats, this Republican says, immediately began plotting to deny McCain credit for a deal if one was reached and to blame him if a deal was not reached.

At least temporarily, we are seeing an interesting partnership between House Republicans and John McCain. When I asked one GOP Hill staffer whether McCain was serving as a proxy for House Republicans, I was told that such a claim would be too strong but that McCain is, at the very least, trying to give voice to House Republicans skeptical of the bailout. And if that’s true, McCain will have an opportunity to bring them along—or some of them—to get a deal.

H/T Pat Hickey With Both Hands