These two guys look like they could get us the hell out of Iraq nice and safe together.
This trip is a disaster for McCain. If Obama's lead in the polls doesn't double by next week, there's something seriously wrong with America. Obama looks like Obama Bond overseas while McCain, who thought he had goaded him into the trip, is making another major geographical gaffe and seeming like a failing Mid-20th Century politician -- not even close to the moment today, so much has Obama changed the expected level of discourse:
Compare Obama in the chopper with the accompanying photo here of McCain with Bush Sr. (in an appropriately Mid-20th Century turtleneck and beige sportscoat) earlier today. And what is his current ad campaign? The first negative ad of the cycle: per McCain, or his campaign, or someone getting paid to make shit up, the reason that gas prices are so high is, in fact, Barack Obama.
It gets worse. Obama's startlingly smart, far-reaching and firm foreign policy op-ed in last Monday's NY Times, which as he must have planned over a year ago would signal the true opening of his general election campaign, after a month of Primary recovery, has keynoted this extraordinarily on-message two week foreign policy vetting spectacular. So some genius in the McCain campaign thought their candidate should respond today, one week later, a day and a half into Obama's sojourn.
The resultant op-ed has yet to run -- rejected by the Times editor for not defining victory clearly enough to be using it -- and "failure" -- throughout the piece. In fact, it's no more than a political hit job, with no vision, no new ideas, nothing that hasn't been propagated before by the campaign. Hackwork, and bless the Times for recognizing it properly.
I don't think McCain nor his campaign have a grip anymore. Novak says they'll make a VP announcement this week, but is even Mitt Romney really going to make a difference? Do a dry run for 2012, maybe even take over if McCain drops out, and either way lose twice to Obama?
McCain is even switching positions again, edging towards his younger, smarter, more vigorous rival's troop withdrawal "horizon."
Bob Dole is looking better and better every day.
Ah well, maybe not.
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