The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Charlotte

The White House hopefuls have stressed their rival plans to bring relief to both troubled financiers and "Main Street" after the government proposed a huge Wall Street bailout.

Barack Obama and John McCain both said Sunday they would study the proposal and work across the political aisle, following the US government's request to Congress for clearance to buy 700 billion dollars in distressed mortgages. But bitter differences on the road to the November 4 election were also exposed as Obama accused his Republican foe of wanting to "gamble" away Americans' life savings and deregulate healthcare at a time of market crisis. Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the Democrat would be working with President George W. Bush's administration and Congress to ensure the plan relieves hard-pressed workers, not just company bosses and shareholders.

Obama wants the eventual package to be "part of an overall plan not just for Wall Street but for Main Street, that it protects taxpayers to the fullest extent possible, and that it helps homeowners stay in their homes," she said.

McCain said: "This financial crisis requires leadership and action in order to restore a sound foundation to financial markets, get our economy on its feet, and eliminate this burden on hard-working middle-class Americans."

Pledging also to review the full document and eventual changes ordered by Congress, McCain touted his plan for a "Mortgage and Financial Institutions" trust following a raft of hefty government bailouts of tottering companies.

Such a trust "would proactively resolve troubled financial institutions, enforce discipline on management and shareholders, and minimize the burden on the taxpayer," the Arizona senator said in a statement.

Propelled by discontent at Republican handling of the economy in light of the financial crisis, Obama matched his record high of 50 percent in the latest Gallup daily tracking poll, against 44 percent for McCain.

McCain had enjoyed a post-convention bounce with the addition of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee, but the Democrat's recovery tracks Gallup findings pointing to a slide in consumer confidence.

At exuberant rallies in the retirement haven of Florida, a battleground state that decided the 2000 election, Obama noted McCain's career-long belief in market deregulation before the Republican switched tack this week.