The political vultures are circling Republican Sen. John McCain.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/10/26/20081026mccain1026.html

With just nine days until Election Day, the political vultures are circling Republican Sen. John McCain.

McCain, the GOP presidential nominee from Arizona, is trailing in all but one national poll and in most polls in critical battleground states. Either he or the Republican National Committee, which is spending money on McCain's behalf, is pulling staff and advertising out of key states, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Colorado, and pouring resources into Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning state with a coveted 21 electoral votes.

Some pundits and pollsters are starting to suggest a possible Nov. 4 landslide for McCain's Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. McCain backers point to their candidate's tenacity and dramatic come-from-behind triumph in this year's GOP primaries.


*snip*

Simon Rosenberg, president of the Washington-based think tank NDN, doubted the prevailing narrative that the tanking economy doomed McCain. He noted that the economy already was starting to slow before McCain rose to his peak position in the polls in September.

McCain hurt himself, Rosenberg said, by appearing to play politics with the financial crisis when he announced he was "suspending" his campaign so he could devote his time to helping Congress find a solution.

"It obviously was a political stunt. You didn't have to be (veteran Washington Post political columnist) David Broder to figure that one out," Rosenberg said.

Besides that stumble, McCain also is paying the price for an uninspired vice-presidential pick, lackluster debate performances and his preoccupation with "issues that are less important than other issues," Rosenberg said.

Although Palin has helped McCain raise money and energize the GOP base, some voters among the broader electorate are expressing reservations about her qualifications, which include less than two years as Alaska's governor.

"The American people are disappointed with John McCain and the campaign that he's run. They were open to electing him president, but he just didn't perform in the general election," Rosenberg said. "And that's why he's going to lose."

This election (provided it isn't stolen) is going to come down to who the American people like as a person more. John McCain is not very likable to most people (even republicans don't like him much) and that will turn millions away from him. People like Barack Obama and will express that at the polls on November 4th.

Try Michelle Bachman or Sarah Palin, gamier but less chewy...

:patriot:

Will he be in California before Election day?

David Border aint figured it out yet