Obama's statements about the bailout (and McCain's as well, to be clear about it) are the sort of general statements that allow the candidate to disavow any specific solution as failing to meet his stringent criteria. "My opponent supported this bill knowing full well that it lacks the safeguards to provide that..."

If Obama wants to sort out the details of a plan that he's willing to support then he needs to be part of the meetings that are devising the plan -- as does McCain. Negotiations of this kind can't be accomplished by remote control.