Republican White House hopeful John McCain threw the US campaign into turmoil last night by calling for a delay in the first presidential debate to try to forge a Wall Street rescue plan.
The surprise move was promptly rejected by Democrat Barack Obama.
The move came as some polls showed Mr McCain falling behind Mr Obama in their race for the November 4th election.
Republicans and the White House welcomed Mr McCain's move as a needed appeal for both parties to work together, while Democrats suspected a publicity stunt ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled debate.
The Arizona senator announced he would suspend his campaign, pull television advertising, halt fundraising and return to Washington today to try to help negotiations over a stalled $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street.
"We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved," Mr McCain said, urging Mr Obama to join him.
Mr McCain's pressure appeared to pay off. Hours later, Mr Obama agreed to a request from President George W Bush to attend a White House meeting today with Mr McCain and congressional leaders, and the campaigns issued a joint statement saying,
"This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country."
But Mr Obama said he saw no reason to delay their debate in Oxford, Mississippi, the first of three face-to-face encounters scheduled between them before election day.
"What I'm planning to do now is debate on Friday," Mr Obama told reporters in Clearwater, Florida, where he had gone to prepare for the high-stakes encounter. "I think that it is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."
A senior McCain adviser made clear Mr McCain would not attend the debate unless a congressional rescue deal was sealed.
"If the package is reached and the country is saved, there will be a debate," the aide said. "But if there's no deal, how can you get on a plane ... for a debate?"