WASHINGTON — The presidential campaign swept loudly into Washington on Thursday as Barack Obama and John McCain met with President Bush and congressional leaders at the White House to discuss a massive bailout of the nation's ailing financial markets.
The candidates' much-ballyhooed return from the trail, however, appeared to produce more theater than lawmaking. As partisan rancor intensified through the day, there were few signs on Capitol Hill that either McCain -- who had proposed the trip to Washington -- or Obama had managed to bring a deal any closer.
It also did not appear that McCain had fully suspended his campaign, as he had said Wednesday that he would until a solution to the economic crisis was reached. His Republican running mate, Sarah Palin, remained on the trail Thursday, his ads were still on the air, his campaign offices remained open, and fundraising continued.
McCain and Obama came to Washington -- at Bush's invitation -- after the GOP nominee said it was "time for both parties to come together."
Obama, who had voiced concerns that the presidential hopefuls would be a distraction to congressional negotiations, stayed away from the Capitol on Thursday, consulting with Democratic leaders and administration officials by phone through the day.
In an interview later with CBS' Katie Couric, the Democratic nominee said: "It's important not to inject presidential politics into this . . . because I think sometimes that prevents things from getting done. It's amazing what you can get done when you're not looking to try to get credit for it."
At the White House meeting, Democratic leaders had asked Obama to speak for the party, participants said. Afterward, the candidate expressed support for the ongoing negotiations.
"My impression from the meeting today is that the president and the secretary of the Treasury . . . still have some work to do" in getting House Republicans to agree to Bush's $700-billion bailout plan.
McCain spent 3 1/2 hours on Capitol Hill before the White House meeting. He did not participate in a bipartisan meeting of senior lawmakers that ended with members of both parties announcing hopefully that a deal was close. He met for about 30 minutes with House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), then dropped in briefly on a Senate Republican lunch on the other side of the Capitol, where he was greeted with a standing ovation.
