Two McCains

The John McCain of 2000 who ran as a "maverick" and a bit of an "outsider" against George W. Bush is gone. McCain, who was savaged by the Bush campaign after McCain's win in the 2000 New Hampshire primary and before the South Carolina primary, is trying to have it both ways and its costing him the election. On the one hand, he's trying to return to the likeable, media accessible, maverick type who defied his own party in 2000. On the other hand, he's also employing "Karl Rove-like" tactics by tearing down Obama and the Democrats as much as he can. McCain himself is doing the former, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, is doing the latter. Where has it gotten McCain? Nowehere. McCain is a different candidate than he was in 2000. The beating he took from Bush/Rove questioning McCain's patriotism, his values, his competence, etc. has left McCain a bitter man. Trying to recapture the "old John Mccain" with only 27 days left in the campaign is not working. If McCain wants to win, and he now has little margin to do so, he has to attack Obama as a tax and spend liberal, which he is. McCain has not helped himself by not laying out a conservative economic plan that many Americans who are angry with the bailout would agree with. McCain also needs to hammer home the fact that Obama is naive when it comes to foreign and national security policy. He did so do during the first debate, but left something to be desired last night. He really needed to hammer home the fact that the presidency it not a place for the on the job training in such a dangerous world. Lastly, McCain needs to hammer home Obama's associations with ACORN, Tony Rezko, William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, etc. Obama has gotten a pass from the drive by media on these associations. McCain and Palin need to expose such relationships for what they are: serious errors in judgment. Otherwise, come 20 Janaury, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next POTUS.