Give John McCain credit for bold moves: Not long after Barack Obama called him to suggest moving together to press a compromise on the home mortgage bailout Wednesday -- which conservative House Republicans were resisting -- the GOP presidential candidate was making a beeline to the cameras forcing moves that would benefit his campaign.

As a legion of commentators have noted, McCain has managed to insert himself into a situation where a compromise was already imminent, trying to force delay of a presidential debate when he is most politically vulnerable, giving him precious days to find a way to claim credit for any solution that emerges. All, by the way, without any meaningful consultation or cooperation with Democrats.

But he made one big mistake by lying to a guy with no tolerance for such shenanigans: David Letterman.

McCain wound up sitting for an interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric at the same time on Wednesday when he should have been making an appearance on Letterman's show. He had called the TV host to say he would be jetting back to Washington, instead.

Didn't anybody in McCain's campaign think that the CBS talk show host might have access to a satellite feed of Couric's interview?

Also, this morning the GOP candidate was giving a speech at Bill Clinton's Global Initiative in New York -- odd behavior for a guy who found the financial crisis so dire, he suspended his campaign yesterday. But instead of telling Letterman he didn't want to be seen yukking it up on a late-night show when the economy was in crisis, he made up a yarn.

The only question left: Will the American people call McCain on some of this behavior? Watch Letterman call him on it below.

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