Not only is Phil Gramm the guy who called Americans a “nation of whiners” for being concerned about the economy, and who said that the economy is fine and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply suffering from a “mental recession.” But Phil Gramm is also one of the chief architects of the deregulation of Wall Street (that John McCain supported), and which directly led to the current economic meltdown. Read this transcript. It’s actually quite horrifying the degree to which McCain’s spokesman is refusing to say that Gramm won’t be in McCain’s cabinet. Folks, there’s a very real possibility that one of the architects of our current economic crisis will be appointed as John McCain’s top guy to fix the same crisis. The transcript follows the video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Gnhwbxnw0]

DAVID SHUSTER: You can make it clear right now. Can you assure that John McCain will not pick Phil Gramm as treasury secretary if John McCain wins this election?

TUCKER BOUNDS: He’s not even an adviser on this campaign, David. I don’t know where these sorts of rumor mills come from –

DAVID SHUSTER: Why don’t you put them down and say that he’s –

TUCKER BOUNDS: – but I think they come from the Obama campaign straight to you straight to a question on air.

DAVID SHUSTER: Well Tucker, you can make your point better. Just say Phil Gramm – John McCain has told me Phil Gramm will not be treasury secretary under any circumstance in a McCain administration.

TUCKER BOUNDS: It is an absurd thing to say. It would be as if I was to say Franklin Raines is going to head up the Housing and Urban Development wing for Barack Obama.

DAVID SHUSTER: Right, but the difference, Tucker, is the Obama campaign says that’ll never happen. And I have yet to hear you say –

TUCKER BOUNDS: If I were to make that accusation, David, you would call it a lie. You’d call it a lie. And I’m not making it, but Barack Obama is.

DAVID SHUSTER: The difference is the Obama campaign will tell us flat out that he will not be part of an Obama administration. And I still haven’t heard you say that Phil Gramm will not be part of a McCain administration.

TUCKER BOUNDS: I think it is inherently true. He stepped down from this campaign. He’s not advising this campaign. I mean, these are the sorts of absurdities that we’re talking about and it’s all because Barack Obama gets away with saying things that aren’t true and then people believe them to be some way based in fact. It’s absurd.

DAVID SHUSTER: Alright. Tucker Bounds, spokesperson for the McCain campaign.