Obama Grabbing Some Credit Too

 Barack Obama is trying to nab his piece of the credit on the bailout plan just hours after congressional negotiators signed off on the historic deal.

Obama, appearing on Face the Nation, first blamed "eight years of failed economic policy" for the financial crisis. Then he said the congressional negotiators included his core principles in the bailout deal, including taxpayer protection, foreclosure mitigation and a crackdown on CEO pay.

"For two weeks I was on the phone every day with Secretary Paulson and congressional leaders," Obama said.

As for the deal that came out in the wee hours Sunday morning, the changes "are identical to the things I called for the day Secretary Paulson released his plan" Obama said.

So now it appears as though we're in the who-gets-credit phase, and Obama and McCain campaigns are both trying to claim they had some impact on the deal, while neither of them were in the room negotiating late last night. This debate will undoubtedly play out in the next 24 hours as Congress votes on the plan.

Obama added that if the key taxpayer provisions remain in the final bailout bill, "my inclination is to support it."