Enter the (incompetent) drama queen: McCain makes it worse:

And so, a bailout proposal that once seemed likely to pass now is back to negotiations. In the process, Secretary Paulson was reduced to getting on his knees to beg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to have her party members bail on the proposal; President Bush was forced to ponder a market meltdown on his watch; and Democrats were left fuming that in a bid for the leadership spotlight, John McCain may have simply gone and fouled things up.
“Bush is no diplomat,” said a Democratic staffer, “but he’s Cardinal freaking Richelieu compared to McCain. McCain couldn’t negotiate an agreement on dinner among a family of four without making a big drama with himself at the heroic center of it. And then they’d all just leave to make themselves a sandwich.

And what did McCain actually do with his carefully orchestrated appearance? Sat in silence for three quarters of an hour, uttered a few vague platitudes, and did nothing to support Bush, thereby encouraging the apres moi le deluge House Republicans to declare their independence.
Bush went along with McCain’s charade (inviting him to the White House and asking Obama almost as an afterthought), but he must be fuming right now. One more “maverick move”, and McCain’s only friend in the world will be the execrable Palin. (Even she must be wondering what the hell she’s got herself into.)