Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona today said he will resume his campaign and attend tonight’s debate, even though a deal on a financial system bailout bill is not ready.

McCain “is optimistic that there has been significant progress toward a bipartisan agreement now that there is a framework for all parties to be represented in negotiations,” including House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) as a designated negotiator for House Republicans, the McCain campaign said in a statement. “The McCain campaign is resuming all activities and the Senator will travel to the debate this afternoon.”

The campaign charged that “much of yesterday was spent fighting over who would get the credit for a deal” and accused Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois of “posturing” during a White House meeting Thursday.