Just in case you were wondering if McCain’s move was just some unnecessary political stunt, CBS News’ Bob Schieffer has been told by his sources that only four Republicans raised their hands to support the plan after yesterday’s briefings in the House. It was at that point, sources tell him, that Treasury Secretary Paulson contacted Senator Lindsey Graham to ask for John McCain to help pass the bill. Watch here.

Here’s the transcript:

I am told, Maggie, that the way McCain got involved in this in the first place, the Treasury Secretary was briefing Republicans in the House yesterday, the Republican conference, asked how many were ready to support the bailout plan. Only four of them held up their hands. Paulson then called, according to my sources, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is very close to John McCain, and told him: you’ve got to get the people in the McCain campaign, you’ve got to convince John McCain to give these Republicans some political cover. If you don’t do that, this whole bailout plan is going to fail. So that’s how, McCain, apparently, became involved.

He has gotten what he wants, he’s going to have this meeting, kind of a summit today with the president and Barack Obama. I’m told that the leaders of both parties are getting close to having some kind of a bill. The question, though, is whether rank-and-file Republicans, especially, are going to vote for this.

The claim makes sense. It’s well-known that Republicans have been opposing the bill. If it has any hopes of passage then John McCain, the leader of his party, will need to rally the troops.