(15 Apr 10 - RV) U.S. President Barack Obama and top Republicans faced off yesterday
over a Democratic plan in the Senate to crack down on Wall Street. After talks in
the White House, Republicans said the reform bill would protect big banks, hurt small
banks and guarantee "endless taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street." As the Senate
prepares to begin debate in less than two weeks on legislation revamping regulation
of the financial industry, the question of bailouts has elevated the sharp partisan
differences over how to respond to the 2008 crisis that caused a near meltdown on
Wall Street. Michael McKenna is the president of the Washington based group MWR Strategies.
He said that this meeting and the following ones are not likely to address the real
causes of the financial meltdown….