If Barack Obama, John McCain, and George Bush are all serious when they say they want to put country first ahead of partisan politics, this is what they should do.
Since a bailout plan of the magnitude being discussed these days will have massive ramifications for the next President, George Bush must get input from those who will soon be taking over his job.
Obama, McCain, and Bush should get together tomorrow to discuss what needs to be done to deal with the financial crisis in the short term. They need to agree to a plan that can be passed in a matter of days that will keep the economy stable between now and November 4 - if that's a $150 billion bailout package, so be it.
The catch is that, after the election, George Bush must then agree to sign any related bill that the President-elect would sign. So if John McCain wins, George Bush would sign any bill that John McCain agrees to regarding the financial crisis, and if Barack Obama wins, George Bush would sign any bill that Barack Obama agrees to regarding the financial crisis.
Such an agreement could be easily enforced simply by having the other party filibuster in the Senate if need be.
This plan would deal with the turmoil in the short term, keep presidential politics out of the solution, and ensure that the next President will have as smooth a transition as possible.