Bush decided to address the nation and prepared a prime-time speech. But hours before he was to go on the air, he received a call from John McCain asking him to hold a White House meeting on the rescue package. The president was furious. Negotiations were at a delicate stage, and suddenly McCain was going to swoop in to save the day? It was “a stunt,” Bush thought. Barry Jackson, his political adviser, was even blunter, calling McCain “a stupid prick.” But Bush felt he had no choice and had to convene the meeting McCain had requested. “I could see the headlines: ‘Even Bush Thinks McCain’s Idea
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