As Congress Bails OUT, Who Looked Presidential

"The fundamentals of our economy are strong" and "I'm suspending my campaign" to work on the economic crisis is how John McCain responded.

For his part, Barack Obama worked quietly behind the scenes on a solution, and tried to keep the public calm.

So who looked more presidential?

The New York Times reports:

It was classic John McCain and classic Barack Obama who grappled with the $700 billion bailout plan over the last week: Mr. McCain was by turns action-oriented and impulsive as he dive-bombed targets, while Mr. Obama was measured and cerebral and inclined to work the phones behind the scenes. [...]

For Republicans, Mr. McCain’s performance proved mixed, however. His quick call to fire the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, then his decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington even though he lacked an alternative to the bailout, risked making him look impetuous in a moment of crisis. He comes out of this without an easily definable role or set of obvious results, though his top advisers said he had bought time for House Republicans to raise their own concerns.

“Obama’s approach to this has been very Obama — measured, cool and thoughtful, which I hope is what the country wants more than theatrical anger,” said Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania, a Democrat who had supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential candidacy.

So who looked more presidential?

The Washington Post reports on Obama and McCain:

Sen. Barack Obama said that "it's important for the American public and the markets to stay calm" in the wake of a failed vote on a financial sector bailout bill this afternoon and strongly advocated for its approval, adding, "One of the messages I have to Congress is, get this done, Democrats. Republicans, step up to the plate."

And this:

After bragging today about his role in shaping the economic bailout package, Sen. John McCain made no statement to the press after the defeat of the bill, in part at the hands of House Republicans.

Instead, McCain boarded his Straight Talk Air charter plane, where he sat in front, separated from reporters by a brown curtain, without making a comment on the bill's defeat.

So once again ... who looked more presidential?

.