Key quotes from Sen. John McCain's major speech on the housing crisis and the economy:

I am prepared to examine new proposals and evaluate them based on these principals [sic].

...

it is time to convene a meeting of the nation's accounting professionals to discuss the current mark to market accounting systems

...

We should also convene a meeting of the nation's top mortgage lenders.

...

I will get my chance to talk further another day. Now I look forward to hearing from our small business owners

Why so little in actual substantive ideas?

As McCain said, "More important than the events of the past is the promise of the future."

Forget about how conservatives failed to regulate the financial industry. Just close your eyes and wish real hard, and everything will be OK!

Credit McCain for his earlier straight talk: "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should."