Sen Obama seems to have forgotten that he is a sitting Senator, and the people of Illinois are still entitled to representation during this national crisis.  I would be beyond furious if Sen Webb were running for the WH and decided that he wasn't going to be in Congress to discuss/debate this massive proposal and provide leadership and input on behalf of the people of VA.

Barack's pass on this and comment about "multi-tasking" is going to boomerang on him.  I am surprised that you think this was "smart".  I was absolutely shocked when he said he was going to "check in" by phone while on the campaign trail.  Shocked.

and not because I completely support Obama but because I think there is very sound wisdom in his speech here. He spoke about making himself available to help out wherever party and Congressional leadership needed help. Both sides know how valuable his support can be for whatever plans they have so I am certain they will contact him to get him to Washington DC when something comes up. In the meantime, Obama and McCain walking around the Capitol would draw too much of the presidential race BS into the discussion on the economy. They really don't need press walking around analyzing every Obama or McCain move and how that relates to the race when the focus should be the financial bill. The rest of Congress is perfectly capable of solving this in the appropriate manner with two Senators in any case.

Another point is that Illinois is represented by two senators, Obama being the junior Senator. They are represented and perhaps best represented by the House members.  

*withOUT two senators.

My bad.

The people of Illinois have several congressmen and a Senator representing them.  The people of America are entitled to hear the two candidates for President have a discussion about the issues.  Early voting has started, absentees are going out, and the election is about 40 days away.  Obama and McCain can certainly do more than one thing at once -- they can help where needed and requested, avoid injecting presidential politics where necessary, and keep making their case to the public about why they should be put in charge of this mess.

By the way, speaking of representing your state:

Some fun facts about John McCain: Of all Senators, John McCain has been the most absent. There have been 643 votes taken in the current Senate session: McCain has missed 412 of them.

McCain has not voted in the Senate since April 8th. Since March, he has missed 109 of the last 110 votes.

He missed votes on the GI Bill, energy policy, and in 2007 he missed "all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate" -- giving him a 2007 rating of 0% from the League of Conservation Voters. Zero percent? I don't think that's fair. I think they should have given him an "incomplete", and told him that he had to stay for summer session if he wants to graduate from the Senate.

Neither McCain nor Obama sit on the Senate Finance and Banking Committees.  Neither is in a position to work out the details of legislation.  This is a little bit like pulling rank.

Both may play a role in advocating the legislation once the details are worked out -- but this isn't something that they need to do from Washington.

Their presence at this stage would be a massive distraction and an impediment to getting things done.  Their presence would actually politicize this issue in Washington in a way that it shouldn't be (we are in the middle of a presidential campaign).

Essentially you seem to be saying that politicizing the debate in Washington will lead to a constructive resolution of the ongoing debate.

It won't.  

Their presence at this stage would be a massive distraction and an impediment to getting things done.

I was thinking more like blowviating and grandstanding, but you say tomato...

and the American people need to know that, was one comment from Senator Obama.  I heartily agree. Even if we end up doing nothing, this problem will burn itself out, as have other banking panics in the past. President Bush (and McCain) are trying to spook us all into hasty and ill-considered action, crying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling!" No such thing, folks; some of their best buddies on Wall Street have their tails in a crack, and, given their stupidity, they will assuredly bring down plenty of little guys along with themselves no matter what, but We. Will. Survive. Stop running in circles, screaming and shouting. That's exactly what Bush wants, just as he did with 9/11 and the Patriot Act; just as he did with Iraq and WMDs leading to Shock and Awe, and insurgency.

If you look at the original Bush proposal with an eye unclouded by manic fear, you see something slyly loaded with yet more un-Constitutional trap doors designed to trivialize the checks and balance system of government, enhancing the executive powers to the diminishment of the legislative and judicial, leaving us with a banana republic dictatorship.  The only person who looks presidential in this mess is not even Bush, it is Barack Obama.