Hours before the premiere presidential debate was scheduled to begin Friday night, Republican John McCain's attendance was still in doubt as Congress and the Bush administration continued to negotiate a Wall Street bailout plan.

McCain met briefly Friday morning with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, before heading to his campaign headquarters. He has pledged to stay in Washington to work on a deal that would address the financial crisis, even if it meant postponing the debate...