Premediating McCain

John McCain's behavior in Washington Thursday seemed anything but leader-like as he sat silent for most of the bipartisan meeting in the White House, apparently failing to make clear his position on how to proceed in resolving the stalemate on how to fix the nation's economy.

So, McCain's theatrics leave him with two options to try to use the current economic crisis to resuscitate his failing presidential campaign.

1. First mess up an imminent bailout deal, as he appeared to do Thursday, only to end up bringing conservative House Republicans into the fold, portraying himself as the leader who brought the bipartisan deal together.  

2. More radically, come out Friday against the bailout, and try to capitalize on the overwhelming popular sentiment against bailing out Wall Street, portraying himself as a maverick who is willing to fight the entrenched interests of Washington and New York for the good of the American people.

The first option seems to have little chance of working.  The second, however, has a frightening plausibility to it and may be the only chance the McCain candidacy has of claiming the presidency.