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Presidential rivals spar on leadership in crisis

McCain said Democrats put party first. Obama's camp said partisanship "disgusted" Americans.

DES MOINES - The shock of the House of Representatives' failure to pass a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street was felt on the campaign trail yesterday as the presidential candidates sparred in battleground states over each other's capacity for leadership.

Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the bill's defeat.

At a rally in Ohio, Republican John McCain accused rival Barack Obama of failing to show leadership during the congressional negotiations over the bailout, which fell short in the House.

"This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country," McCain senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin said in a statement.

The statement also reflected the view of House Republicans, who blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for giving what they said was a partisan speech that alienated potential Republican votes.

Speaking later in Iowa, McCain was more temperate but just as insistent.

"Now it is time for all members of Congress to go back to the drawing board," McCain told reporters.

"I call on Congress to get back - obviously immediately - to address this crisis," he said. "Our leaders are expected to leave partisanship at the door and come to the table to solve our problems. Sen. Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame; it is time to fix the problem."

The Obama campaign responded quickly.

"This is a moment of national crisis, and today's inaction in Congress as well as the angry and hyper-partisan statement released by the McCain campaign are exactly why the American people are disgusted with Washington," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said.

"Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to join together and act in a way that prevents an economic catastrophe," Burton said.

The House's action creates a special problem for McCain, who stressed his leadership on what is now a failure. McCain had suspended his campaign last week to go to Washington to help with the negotiations and even threatened to skip a presidential debate.

While the Arizona senator has not claimed direct credit for helping in the talks, he did decide to attend Friday's first presidential debate after he said his actions had created a framework for negotiations among the different congressional camps.

He also praised those talks as an example of the kind of bipartisan and bicameral leadership that was needed in the next administration.

As he did throughout the weekend, McCain yesterday defended his actions. Even though there have been questions from both sides of the aisle about his effectiveness, McCain insisted he had shown leadership.

"Some people have criticized my decision, but I will never, ever be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis," McCain said.

At a rally yesterday, McCain directly criticized Obama.

"Sen. Obama took a very different approach to the crisis our country faced. At first he didn't want to get involved," McCain said. "Then he was 'monitoring the situation.' That's not leadership; that's watching from the sidelines. And watching from the sidelines is exactly what got us into this mess."

Campaigning in Westminster, Colo., Obama took a less combative position, telling the crowd he was confident that an emergency rescue package would pass.

"There are going to be some bumps and trials and tribulations and ups and downs before we get this regulation package done," he said.

He called Democrats and Republicans to "step up to the plate, get it done."

"I'm confident that we are going to get there, but it's going to be a little rocky," the Illinois senator told the packed gymnasium at Mountain Range High School. "It's sort of like flying into Denver: You know you're going to land, but it's not always fun going over these mountains."

With about five weeks before voters choose the next president, the candidates focused on battleground states.

Ohio is an important state for the Republicans because 20 electoral votes are up for grabs. Polls show that McCain is in a statistical dead heat in the state with Obama.

Four years ago, President Bush narrowly carried Ohio, 50.7 percent to 48.3 percent. Democrats this year are pushing hard, hoping to swing the state to their column.

In Colorado, where nine electoral votes are at stake, some polls show Obama running ahead of McCain, but the margin varies, and the outcome is likely to be close.

Bush also carried Colorado four years ago, 51.7 percent to about 47 percent. Democrats see Colorado as one of several key Western states they can carry with the help of a strong Hispanic vote.

With polls showing that the economy is the No. 1 issue, the candidates continued to focus on the topic.

After the rally, McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, traveled to Arizona, where she will be preparing for the vice presidential debate Thursday in St. Louis.

At the Ohio rally, Palin said that she looked forward to debating Democratic Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware. She quipped that while she had never met him, "I've been hearing about his speeches since I was in the second grade."