Republicans: 'Let's pass this lousy bill!'

News from last night's closed-door House GOP caucus meeting. Jake Tapper reports:

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee and an admired conservative within his caucus, just made what I'm told was a credible agument FOR the bill.
Said Ryan of the bill: "It sucks." But, he said, it has to pass to preserve the free market system and stave off a financial collapse.
That's a very good sign for its passage -- Ryan was one of the leading opponents of the bill just a few days ago.

And Patrick O'Connor reports:

In a closed-door session with House Republicans, Minority Leader John A. Boehner just called the financial rescue deal a "crap sandwich" – then said he'll vote for it when it comes to the floor Monday.

I've said before that the reason the House Republicans are under such pressure to support the bailout is that Nancy Pelosi doesn't have enough votes among Democrats to pass it. Dennis Kucinich confirms that:

"I will tell you right now I don't know if they have votes," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). "If the votes were there, this would be on the floor. The votes aren't there."

Liberal Democrats don't want to vote to bail out Wall Street, and let me predict: Barack Obama will find an excuse to vote against it, and then it will be denounced as the "Bush-McCain Bailout."

Dick Armey's free-market FreedomWorks lists the Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the Bailout.

Michelle Malkin mentions the most important political fact here:

Phone calls to congressional offices continue to show overwhelming public opposition to the massive, unprecedented government giveaway.

You can add your voice at 202-224-3121.