Firedoglake is reporting that the Democrats have reached a compromise on the bailout. As we’ve seen many times before, the Democrats tend to compromise in ways that make Republicans very, very happy. My friends: there is evil afoot.

Update: False alarm. They haven’t given it away yet. There are important photo ops that must happen first. I’ll just ask one question, though … of all the stuff I’ve read, I still can’t understand exactly why our entire economy would collapse if we don’t go with the bailout plan immediately. I think it’s universally accepted that we are facing financial hardships, but any time Bush gets on TV and tells us we have to do something right now or the world is going to fall apart, I get awful skeptical.

Update II: I’m beginning to lose faith that we’re going to see a fair election … I’ve lost track of what’s real and what’s politics at this stage in the game. Are we really facing an immediate crisis, or is this all a huge gamble to keep the Republicans in power? (I have no idea how they could make an economic crisis that they created work in their favor, but they’re truly masters of the “black is white” rhetorical construct.) I’ll leave you with Chris Dodd’s reaction to John McCain’s sudden immediacy on fixing the economy:

“I’m delighted that John is expressing himself on this issue,” said Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. “I have heard form Obama numerous occasions these last couple days. I have never heard from John McCain on the issue… I’m just worried a little bit that sort of politicizing this problem, sort of flying in here, I’m beginning to think this is more of a rescue plan for John McCain and not a rescue plan for the economy.”