Bailout Lite Gaining Momentum?

Chuck Schumer -- who has a gift for injecting himself in the middle of the action -- is gaining support, right and left,  for the  idea of giving Treasury a $150 billion down payment on the $700 billion bailout.

Barack Obama seemed warm to it yesterday. And it's gotten kudos from Tennessee Republican Bob Corker, Kansas GOPer Sam Brownback and Florida Democrat Bill Nelson, a bellwether moderate.

"I'm certainly going to be favorable, instead of doing it al lat one whack, of taking a portion of it, say $150 billion or $200 billion and seeing how it goes for a three-or four-month period," Nelson said this morning.