This complete stiff-arming of McCain’s dash for some imagined political end-zone, this is what happens when:

A) Democrats control both houses of Congress. If Democrats were not in control right now, Harry Reid would not be in a position to torpedo McCain’s overtures, and Barney Frank would not have his perch as Chair of the House Financial Services Committee from which to say (with the considerable import of someone who’s in charge of shepherding the legislation that McCain is supposedly rushing back to D.C. to help hammer out) the following about McCain’s gambit:

It’s the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys.

B) You piss off the media. McCain’s campaign has spent the last few weeks blatantly manipulating, attacking, and otherwise manhandling the media. Political reporters were already protesting, calling the campaign on “lies,” and generally showing their displeasure and distrust. And then McCain pulls a stunt that requires a huge amount of media buy-in to succeed? Not wise.

C) You have a Democratic candidate who, as Charles puts it, is not John Kerry.