The U.S. Senate will vote on the $700 billion financial rescue bill on Wednesday, just two days after the House of Representatives rejected it. The vote will take place around 9PM ET according to Michelle Malkin’s sources.

During the debate this evening, Barack Obama attempted to use Dr. Henry Kissinger’s statements on Iran against John McCain. He tried to claim that Kissinger supported unconditional talks with Iran while McCain opposes such action. Someone should’ve told Henry Kissinger:

Henry Kissinger believes Barack Obama misstated his views on diplomacy with US adversaries and is not happy about being mischaracterized. He says: “Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the Presidential level. My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Senator John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality.”

As for Obama’s claim that no one’s talking about presidential-level discussions without “preparations” (whatever that means), how does he explain this from the CNN/YouTube debate from last July?

QUESTION: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since.

In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?

COOPER: I should also point out that Stephen is in the crowd tonight.

Senator Obama?

OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous.

So Obama said he would meet unconditionally with the leaders of Iran and other hostile nations in the first year. Not much time for, er, “preparations” now is there?

John McCain took time to point out a bracelet he received from the mother of a solider lost in the war on terror. Barack Obama responded with a cring-inducing, “I’ve got one, too!”, but couldn’t remember the soldier’s name without looking at the bracelet. It’s Ryan David Jopek, by the way. Via Michelle Malkin.

Whatever Team McCain is paying its ad/rapid response team, double it.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) has been taken to a Cape Cod Hospital, multiple sources report. His condition is currently unknown. Fox News received confirmation from a captain at the Hyannais Port Fire Department that Kennedy was transported this evening.

Update: The Associated Press says he was complaining of feeling ill and 911 was dispatched. He was apparently responsive and awake during the trip.

Neither the hospital nor Kennedy aides immediately responded to requests for comment.

Update: The office of Ted Kennedy says the Massachusetts Senator had a small seizure but will be returning home this evening.

In pursuit of fitting its talking points with Republican support, Team Obama is sending around a carefully edited video of House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo) talking about McCain’s role. Obama spokesman Bill Burton (AKA “Shameless Liar”) wrote:

“Congressman Blunt just confirmed what’s been clear since John McCain rode into Washington at the eleventh hour – Senator McCain’s political theatrics succeeded only in stopping a bipartisan deal. During the most serious economic crisis of our time, we don’t need erratic posturing, we need steady leadership to protect American taxpayers and put our economy back on track.”

Here’s the video he’s sending around:

Except, as ABC News notes, that’s not his full statement. Here’s the actual quote:

REP. ROY BLUNT:  I do think that John McCain was very helpful in what he did. I saw him this morning, we’ve been talking with his staff. Clearly, yesterday, his position on that discussion yesterday was one that stopped a deal from finalizing that no House Republican in my view would have been for, which means it wouldn’t have probably passed the House. Now, Democrats are in the majority. They can pass anything they want to without a singe Republican vote, but they don’t seem to be willing to do that. I’m please we can have negotiations now that get us back towards things that we think can protect the taxpayers better, create more options, and frankly be better understood in the country than the plan—the path we were on a couple of days ago.

REP. ROY BLUNT: I do think that John McCain was very helpful in what he did. I saw him this morning, we’ve been talking with his staff. Clearly, yesterday, his position on that discussion yesterday was one that stopped a deal from finalizing that no House Republican in my view would have been for, which means it wouldn’t have probably passed the House. Now, Democrats are in the majority. They can pass anything they want to without a singe Republican vote, but they don’t seem to be willing to do that. I’m please we can have negotiations now that get us back towards things that we think can protect the taxpayers better, create more options, and frankly be better understood in the country than the plan—the path we were on a couple of days ago.

Emphasis mine. New politics? Not so much. Change? Hardly.

It begins 9PM ET on Fox News (among other networks) and is being moderated by Jim Lehrer. The scheduled topic is foreign policy but don’t be surprised to see some financial questions thrown in.

Am I watching? Maybe. Depends on how it starts off. If it’s going to be a “McCain’s just four more years of Bush!”/”Obama’s too inexperienced” fest, I’ll go watch chicken defrost. If it’s something of actual substance, I’ll stay tuned in.

Wow. It was just September 17th when Biden was getting in the face of a young girl insisting he and Obama didn’t support clean coal. Here’s what he said at the time:

“We’re not supporting clean coal,” Biden replied, putting his hands on the woman’s shoulders. “Guess what? China’s building two every week, two dirty coal plants, and it’s polluting the United States. It’s causing people to die.”

As some media outlets and bloggers noted at the time, that runs directly contradictory to Barack Obama’s official position on clean coal. Apparently Axelrod had a sit-down with Biden and told him what he believes:

“I am for clean coal,” he told The Associated Press following a speech in Wilkes-Barre.

September 17th: “We’re not supporting clean coal”. September 26th: “I am for clean coal”. As Allah says, he’s a genius.

It’s certainly not over and there’s 4 debates to come, but this is never good news. McCain lost two in Rasmussen and is now down by 5. He’s down a whopping 7 in Hotline and a more conservative 3 in Gallup. He has to start kicking The One’s ass if he’s going to stay afloat. Time to crack out the Ayers, Wright, etc..

Then there’s this from National Journal. Apparently the possibility of the GOP losing 9 seats in the Senate, giving libs a veto-proof majority, isn’t implausible anymore.

Any comfort? Not much. If Obama does get elected, the public can expect the financial situation to get worse. His support for an increase in taxes isn’t going to fly well. Democrats in Congress, the most unpopular in history, will be brought front-and-center. No matter how badly Democrats are performing now, Republicans are still seen as in charge. A Democratic president and Democratic Congress may well change that.

You mean the noble league of 17 percenters may be lying in order to blunt any advantage McCain may obtain by showing leadership instead of just campaigning? But…but…the most open, honest, and ethical Congress evuh!!!

Though Sen. Chris Dodd implied that Sen. McCain sandbagged the rest of the negotiators by bringing up alternative proposals, McCain himself did not bring up those proposals, according to four independent sources briefed by four different principals inside the meeting, including two Republicans and two Democrats.

“McCain has not attacked the Paulson deal,” said a third Republican who was briefed by McCain direclty. “Unlike the [Democrats] in the [White House] meeting, he didn’t raise his voice or cause a ruckus. He is urging all sides to come together.”…

But Boehner and the White House — and McCain — if they want to get something passed — do have the responsibility to persuade these Republicans to support the bailout .

After all, if not to get these recalcitrant Republicans on board, why did McCain go to Washington in the first place?

And McCain did, according to Ambinder, try to gauge Republican support and heard Republican concerns. How full of crap are the Democrats? While one half is claiming that McCain’s presence sandbagged efforts that were nearing resolution, the other half is saying that McCain said nothing. Did McCain sandbag efforts by producing an alternative plan he didn’t produce?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) completely dismissed McCain’s role in the meeting, saying that he spoke last, said nothing important and had little to do with the negotiations.

“Anyone in that meeting who tried to understand what John McCain said in that meeting, couldn’t” understand whether he supported the deal, Reid said, according to a clip aired on MSNBC. “He didn’t say anything substantive. … He was the last person to talk in that meeting.”

If you’re going to lie, at least get your caucus in agreement on it.

Via Hot Air.