MICHELE NORRIS, host:
Both presidential candidates addressed the economic crisis at campaign stops today. In Scranton, Pennsylvania, John McCain told a gathering of Irish-Americans that's he's deeply uncomfortable with the bailout plan. He called for oversight and accountability, and for an end to golden parachutes.
(Soundbite of Republican campaign rally)
Senator JOHN MCCAIN (Republican, Arizona; Republican Presidential Nominee): My friends, the top executives are asking for two and a half billion dollars in bonuses after they ran the company into the ground.
(Soundbite of crowd jeering)
Senator MCCAIN: The senior executives of any firm that's bailed out by the Treasury should not be making more money than the highest-paid government official. We should have that criteria.
NORRIS: That's Senator John McCain. And by the way, we checked, and the highest-paid government position is the one McCain is seeking. The president's annual salary is currently $400,000. Meanwhile, McCain's rival, Barack Obama, told a crowd in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that any bailout will be expensive. He talked about cutting some federal programs to make room for others.
(Soundbite of Democratic campaign rally)
Senator BARACK OBAMA (Democrat, Illinois; Democratic Presidential Nominee): We are going to fire government managers who aren't getting results. We will cut funding for programs that are wasting your money. We will use technology and the lessons from the private sector to improve efficiency across every level of government, because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy, and that's going to change when I'm president.
NORRIS: Senator Barack Obama at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, today. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.