He thought he could go in there and save the day when the House republicans were against the bailout.
It made him look very weak and the evil Dems used it against him. They privately called him to Washington and then in public said they didn't need him. He was used once again by his “Friends” on the other side. Dems are very good a being duplicitous. They have it down to an art form. The Republicans are very naive and fall for it all the time.
He wanted to schedule the Presidential debate on the date of the VP debate.