Are we dealing with an elaborate scam from the McCain campaign? Is McCain going through all this drama just so he can vote NO on the bailout package? That’s a developing theme. Taegan Goddard writes:

Democrats fear this morning that McCain is setting up a scenario in which he will vote against the bill, rally conservatives to his side and, most importantly, distance himself from both President Bush and Congress before the election.

Marc Ambinder has this:

My colleague Nora McAvalnah tells me that sources close to Senate Democratic leadership now fear that McCain’s true motivation for calling off his campaign and coming back to DC is simply to cast a “no” vote against the bailout, despite his private statements to the contrary. And it’s a smart maneuver: nothing says “maverick,” like voting against Bush and standing with the American public, who remain very wary of the proposal.

Gee, no one could have predicted that. McCain puts politics first.

But, wait. Yesterday, the top of the Palin/McCain ticket, the one who is campaigning today in Pennsylvania, said if the bailout package doesn’t pass, we’re heading for another Great Depression. Yes, she did. On CBS, via AP:

Asked whether there’s a risk of another Great Depression if Congress doesn’t approve a $700 billion bailout package, Palin said, “Unfortunately, that is the road that America may find itself on.” Palin said the answer to the financial crisis doesn’t necessarily have to be the bailout plan that the Bush administration has proposed, but that it should be some form of bipartisan action to reform Wall Street.

When McCain votes against the bi-partisan bailout, according to his V.P., he’s voting for a Great Depression.