While they consider it, I would just like to take this chance to acknowledge the utter ineptitude of Nancy Pelosi (D-La La Land)

Opponents said part of the reason for the opposition from Republicans was what they termed a partisan speech by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said one GOP source. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt said he thinks Republicans could have provided a dozen more votes had Pelosi not given her speech.

Pelosi had said that Congress needed to pass the bill, even though it was an outgrowth of the “failed economic policies” of the last eight years.

“When was the last time someone asked you for $700 billion?” she asked. “It is a number that is staggering, but tells us only the costs of the Bush administration’s failed economic policies - policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision, and no discipline in the system.”

House Republican Conference Chairman, Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., said “he was disappointed that the process that yielded a bipartisan approach took a very marked, partisan tone at the end of the debate.”

This is not a partisan crisis, this is an economic crisis,” said Deputy Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor, who said that 94 Democrats also refused to go along with the bill. He described the vote as the result of “Speaker Pelosi’s failure to listen and failure to lead.”

That’s absolutely spectacular.  This was a major example of what’s wrong with the Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress.  They claimed that they needed bipartisan support to cram this bill down our throats (instead of just passing it with the majority they already had) while simultaneously undermining bipartisanship by criticizing McCain (Reid) and engaging in 11th hour Bush bashing (Pelosi). 

Pelosi has been an absolute disaster in that position and given enough time, I think she may make history by dragging Congress into 0% approval ratings.  I do not support this bailout, but even the most partisan liberal would have to agree that it takes a unique blend of incompetence and stupidity to blow this one in the manner that she did.

Fox News

UPDATE: The McCain campaign joins in:

“From the minute John McCain suspended his campaign and arrived in Washington to address this crisis, he was attacked by the Democratic leadership: Senators Obama and Reid, Speaker Pelosi and others. Their partisan attacks were an effort to gain political advantage during a national economic crisis. By doing so, they put at risk the homes, livelihoods and savings of millions of American families.

“Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill.

“Just before the vote, when the outcome was still in doubt, Speaker Pelosi gave a strongly worded partisan speech and poisoned the outcome.

“This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.” - McCain-Palin senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin

Yes!  McCain is letting the punches fly, after holding back last week; now excoriating Reid for asking him to come back to help get Republican votes for the bailout and then accusing McCain of “injecting Presidential politics” into the debate when he actually showed up.

Swing away, John, swing away.

Politico