Sens. McCain and Obama issued a joint statement late Wednesday as each fought to show he was the candidate of action amid the financial crisis, and as Congress dove into the details of a potential rescue package.

"Now is a time to come together -- Democrats and Republicans -- in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail," the Obama/McCain joint statement read.

"This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country," the statement continued. "We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country."

Both sides had worked earlier in the day to claim the upper hand in responding to the crisis.

McCain’s campaign issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying he was going to suspend his presidential campaign and journey to Washington to work on the economic crisis. He also asked that the first debate, which was scheduled to take place on Friday in Mississippi, be postponed.

Soon afterward, Obama's campaign issued a statement saying the candidate had called McCain that morning proposing a joint statement, working to show that the Democratic candidate had taken the lead on the issue. He rejected McCain's call to postpone the debate, saying that the American people would want to hear from their potential leaders about solutions to this crisis.

Meanwhile, Congress was working to flesh out the proposal for what looks to be a $700 billion-plus bailout package. Sources were giving FOX News conflicting reports on how close the legislation was to being hammered out, with one saying "not too many unresolved issues remain," and others saying that legislators were still "far apart" on the proposal.

House and Senate lawmakers from both parties will meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern time to draft a final package.

Recent polls have shown Obama leading McCain among registered voters, with many people saying they feel Obama would be better-qualified to deal with an economic crisis. The FOX News poll released Wednesday showed Obama with a 45% to 39% lead over his rival. The national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News was conducted Sept. 22 and 23. The poll has a 3-point error margin.

The University of Mississippi, meanwhile, has said that the Friday night debate is “going ahead as planned,” according to Reuters.