Some Democrats said the funding for the bailout should be released in installments, with an opportunity to judge the bailout's effectiveness as the process went forward.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "The question is, first . . . do they actually need the whole $700 billion? And, second, what kind of checkpoints are there along the road?"
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) issued an unusual joint statement, declaring that the two sides "have made progress" but otherwise giving few details.
On the campaign trail, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain and Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama expressed support for a rescue but nonetheless landed in a political wrestling match over the issue.
McCain announced that he would suspend his campaign and return to Washington to try to help broker a deal. He called on Obama to agree to postpone the pair's first debate, scheduled for Friday.
Obama reacted by declaring that he would come to Washington only if congressional or administration leaders told him his presence would help. In a hastily arranged news conference, he also declared that he would take part in the debate as planned.
Frank expressed scorn at McCain's decision to take part in the Washington maneuvering. "All of a sudden, now that we're on the verge of making a deal, John McCain airdrops himself in to help us," Frank said. "Frankly, we're going to have to interrupt a negotiating session tomorrow . . . and troop down to the White House for their photo op."
Saying their constituents have reacted overwhelmingly negatively to the rescue plan, some lawmakers have urged the administration to rally public support for it.
Natalie Ravitz, an aide to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), said the senator's Washington office Tuesday received 918 calls in opposition to the bailout -- and one in support.
About the only thing that all sides agreed on publicly is that the stakes for the financial system, the economy and ordinary Americans' well-being could not be higher.
Only a handful of times in his presidency -- after the 9/11 attacks, for example, on the eve of the Iraq war and after Hurricane Katrina -- has Bush resorted to a direct prime-time appeal to the nation on a single subject.
