Bush hopes to reach deal ‘very shortly’

President Bush on Thursday thanked congressional leaders and the presidential candidates for joining him at the White House to discuss a Wall Street bailout, adding he hoped a deal could be reached “very shortly.” 

{mosads}Bush reiterated that the country would face a “serious economic crisis” if the troubled financial markets were not rescued by the federal government.

For days, the administration and Congress have been working to make mutually acceptable changes to a $700 billion bailout plan that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has proposed.

“All of us around this table take this issue very seriously,” Bush said.

He added that the meeting “is an attempt to move the process forward.”