After helping to agree a $700bn (£377bn) bailout of Wall Street, America's presidential candidates were at odds over who should take credit for the deal.

Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, said his Republican rival deserved no credit for helping to forge a tentative agreement on the bitterly debated intervention.

Instead, Mr Obama said he deserved credit for making sure the proposal included safeguards for taxpayers. He said he was inclined to support the bailout because it included increased oversight, relief for homeowners facing foreclosure and limits on executive compensation for chief executives of firms that receive government help.

"None of those were in the president's provisions. They are identical to the things I called for the day that (Treasury) Secretary (Henry) Paulson released his package," Mr Obama said.

"That I think is an indication of the degree to which, when it comes to protecting taxpayers, I was pushing very hard and involved in shaping those provisions."

The safeguards were supported by many in Congress, including Democrats and Republicans.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain announced last week that he was suspending his campaign to focus on the crisis.

Asked during an interview on CBS television's Face the Nation whether Mr McCain deserved credit for bringing lawmakers together, Obama said: "No."

"Here are the facts: for two weeks I was on the phone every day with Secretary Paulson and the congressional leaders making sure that the principles that have been ultimately adopted were incorporated in the bill," Mr Obama said.

After the interview, Mr Obama boarded his campaign plane for a flight to Detroit, where he had scheduled a rally with his running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, and their wives. Michigan polls released last week showed Mr Obama pulling ahead of Mr McCain in a Midwestern industrial state considered crucial to Democratic chances in November.

Mr Obama last visited Michigan three weeks ago, when he campaigned in Flint, and Mr Biden visited St Clair Shores and Flat Rock a week later. Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigned on Saturday for Mr Obama in Grand Ledge, Grand Rapids and Flint.

Congressional leaders, meanwhile, were working through the weekend on a package to bail out troubled Wall Street firms. They hoped to have a House vote on the measure today.

Under the plan, the federal government would buy mortgage-backed securities and other bad debt held by banks and other investors. The money should help troubled lenders make new loans and keep credit lines open. The government would later try to sell the discounted loan packages for the best prices.

Mr Obama said the next president should work to overhaul the regulatory structure of Wall Street.