The Maverick surprises again.

McCain does what he thinks he should, politics be damned and sometimes Republicans too and that's that. I think we should all have learned to live with that by now. McCain is known for bringing both parties together in deals like this, so we shall have to see if he can make it work this time. Why did he make this dramatic decision? Well, if you read the reports below it is clear that it was because the Democrats needed him.

Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid would rather play politics. Yesterday he said this:

"We need the Republican nominee for president to let us know where he stands and what we should do.’

And that wasn't all:

Roll Call: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Told The White House That Senator John McCain Was Crucial To Any Bailout Deal. "Fearing a political backlash against Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has told the White House that it must serve up support from Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) if it hopes to ensure bipartisan backing for a massive economic bailout package by week’s end." (Erin P. Billings and John Stanton, "Reid Seeks McCain Pledge," Roll Call, 9/24/08)

Roll Call: "McCain Holds The Key To … A Bipartisan Vote, According To Reid …" "McCain holds the key to such a bipartisan vote, according to Reid, because Republicans are likely to defer to his position on a bill that holds political peril. McCain on Tuesday night joined Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in lending qualified support for the $700 billion package, but it remains unclear whether his backing is strong enough and timely enough to persuade the Congressional rank and file." (Erin P. Billings and John Stanton, "Reid Seeks McCain Pledge," Roll Call, 9/24/08)

Senator Reid Told Secretary Paulson That Senator McCain Was Necessary For Any Agreement. "According to a Democratic aide familiar with the discussions, Reid told Paulson this week that 'if McCain didn’t come out for this thing and come out for it quickly, it was going to begin bleeding Republican votes.' Democrats 'have a very real concern that opposition [from McCain] is going to drive away potential Republican votes,' this aide said." (Erin P. Billings and John Stanton, "Reid Seeks McCain Pledge," Roll Call, 9/24/08)

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: White House Has Been Told By Democrats "That There Is No Deal If McCain Doesn't Go Along." "A Democratic leadership source says that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has been told that Democratic votes will not be there if McCain votes no – that there is no deal if McCain doesn't go along." (George Stephanopoulos, "McCain; Holds Key To Administration's Bailout Passage On Capitol Hill," ABC News, 9/23/08)

They said they needed McCain and he is coming.

So today Reid reverses himself for the obvious reasons:

“it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy. … We need leadership; not a campaign photo op.”

So yesterday Reid is begging McCain to come out for this and today, after a phone call from the Obama people I'm sure, he says this.

Did he not think we would remember yesterday?