In the clearest terms yet, the Senate's top Democrat, Majority Leader Harry Reid, Friday charged that the Republican presidential nominee John McCain had derailed a congressional agreement intended to rescue the country from a devastating financial crisis.

"A few days ago, I called on Senator McCain to let us know where he stands on this bailout. But all he has done is stand in front of the cameras," Reid said in broadcast remarks.

General agreement on principles of a deal had been reached between Senate Democrats and Republicans and House of Representative Democrats by mid-day Thursday, Reid said of the 700-billion-dollar bailout the government has proposed.

House Republicans appeared to also be leaning toward supporting the plan, Reid said. They have since presented an opposing plan.

"Then guess who came to town and that completely fell apart," Reid said. "The vehicle came off the track."

McCain shook up negotiations on Wednesday by announcing he was suspending his campaign and rushing to Washington to help pass what he said was a doomed rescue plan.

Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, was reluctant to take take on such a large role in the process, saying he did not want to "confuse" Capitol Hill with presidential politics.

On his way to Washington, McCain gave television interviews and a public speech in New York - a sequence that Democrats charge showed that his move was political and not in the interests of addressing the financial crisis facing the country.

At McCain's behest, US President George W Bush called a meeting Thursday afternoon that included Obama and legislative leaders in an effort to hammer out final compromise on the bailout plan.

But McCain was reported to have said very little at the meeting, other than indicating he was interested in a counter-proposal being floated by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

McCain has not yet indicated what kind of a rescue plan he would support.

Reid called for "House Republicans to come to the negotiating table and for presidential politics to leave the negotiating table."

Reid said that with the cooperation of House Republicans, a bill could be passed before markets open Monday morning.

"We could vote on it Sunday or Monday," Reid said.

He said he expected Congress to extend its session beyond Friday, when a recess ahead of November elections was set to begin.

At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino agreed there was "no reason we can't get it done before opening bell Monday morning."

Democrats, who have held the majority in Congress for two years and appear to have enough votes to pass the plan, are in the difficult position of having to work with the deeply unpopular Republican president to find a way to stave off full-blown financial panic.

Democrats insist that a majority of Republicans in Congress get behind the bill, seeking the political cover of a bipartisan plan amid an increasingly angry public reaction to the idea that tax dollars will bail out the Wall Street firms whose messy investments caused the current crisis.

But Republicans, having lost the congressional majority in 2006 due to Bush's increasing unpopularity, are looking to elections on November 4 with an even more worried eye over the mammoth bailout of Wall Street.

Reid insisted on strong Republican support for the plan, saying the crisis of bad mortgage debt that has caused credit markets to dry up is a "problem created by Republicans."

"We can't do it alone. We need House Republicans on board," he said.