Aaron Sadler with the Stephens Media Washington Bureau talks with members of the Arkansas Congressional delegation who are resisting the $700 billion financial sector bail-out plan proposed by the Bush White House.

Also, here’s Sen. Mark Pryor in a USA Today story, saying that he wishes Barack Obama and John McCain would suspend their campaigns and get back to Washington to help hammer out a bipartisan deal—in a Tuesday interview BEFORE McCain’s goofy “I’m gonna suspend my campaign and go to D.C.” move:

For all the political wrangling over whether the candidates should be involved in the bailout talks, there were some on both sides who said they belong at the table. In an interview Tuesday night, Sen. Mark Pryor, a centrist Democrat who has worked with McCain and Obama on other bipartisan deals, expressed what he thought was only a wistful hope that they might return.

”We need leadership right now,” Pryor had said. “It would be good … for them to suspend their campaigns and come back here and really work with us on this, come up with something we can all do together.”

But, he said, ”they wouldn’t do this; they’ve got a debate Friday.”

Incidentally, Lance Turner’s blog over in the Arkansas Business neighborhood is a great resource for information on the bail-out debate and recent economic matters—lots of links to news stories, analysis and primary sources. Check it out.

Meant to note this earlier, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Charlie Frago had a dandy piece in the paper this morning detailing the vehicular proclivities of the state’s constitutional officers.

Arkansas Auditor Jim Wood: "When I'm doing some auditing on the road, nothing beats the 2007 Lincoln Town Car for comfort and style."

As you can probably guess, there’s nothing they love like a big comfy taxpayer-funded SUV that gets crappy gas mileage. Such is the case for Gov. Mike Beebe, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and Treasurer Martha Shoffner, all of whom like ‘em big and sporty and, uh, guzzly.

The exception is state auditor Jim Wood, for whom taxpayers bought a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. A prize to whoever can say what the “state auditor” does without looking it up and then offer a cogent explanation as to why he would need a 2007 Town Car as opposed to, say, a 2002 Chevy Impala.

Yeah, it’s mostly small change stuff in the context of the overall state budget, but it still kinda gripes me. And actually, now that I look at that photo of the Town Car up there, I have to admit that’s a pretty smooth looking ride. I want one. Very much.