McCain Under Fire

Nearly every poll conducted in the wake of our nation's financial meltdown has been bad news for John McCain. His numbers began to drop early last week, when news of the $700 billion bailout started to sink in. Clearly, McCain's week-old pronouncement that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong," wasn't meshing with the facts. If, as McCain's financial adviser, Phil Gramm insists, this recession is all in our heads, then why do the taxpayers need to pay nearly a trillion dollars in therapy bills?

When McCain's pollsters let their man know of the ominous trend, the Arizona Senator did what he does best, he hastily formed an ill-advised plan to save the day. As with his last-minute selection of Sarah Palin, McCain figured a shake-up was in order. Something big and bold, to shock and awe the nation. So, he stepped to the mic and told America he was "suspending his campaign." He declared that the first presidential debate should be postponed. It was a calculated, high-stakes gamble.

And for a nano-second, some observers thought he'd made a brilliant move. He's doing his job, they declared. Hooray! But by the time McCain arrived in DC, the infusion of presidential politics effectively squashed whatever momentum Congress had built up. McCain, the brave leader, sat silently for 40-minutes in the big meeting with Obama, their fellow legislators and all the president's men, only mumbling a non-committal line or two toward the end of the dismal session.

Tail between his legs, McCain did show for Friday's debate in Mississippi. Though the bailout deal lay in tatters, McCain must have realized he was doing more harm than good, so, once again, he put country first got on a plane, and ditched the rescue effort that he'd portrayed as more important that a silly old debate.

If you read the commentary at places like the National Review, you might be inclined to think McCain won the debate. If you read the findings of virtually every reputable polling institution in the country, you'll find otherwise.

In short, McCain's "suspension bridge to nowhere," as Frank Rich put it, was as big a backfire with independent voters as his choice of Palin as a running mate. It shows a self-possessed man who is apt to make rash decisions, and those characteristics are scaring conservatives as well as liberals.

So what will McCain's new gambit be? Many right wing commentators are calling for McCain to take the muzzle off of Sarah Palin (maybe Campbell Brown was right!). In fact, to hear them tell it there's only one way McCain can save his presidential aspirations: Let her go wild on stage with Biden. Red meat, red meat. U-S-A! U-S-A! That's right, McCain's political future now rests in the hands of the woman who gave us this interview.

Indeed, many fans of Obama were also upset that he didn't attack McCain more viciously. With all due respect to my friends on the left and the right, this kind of behavior won't play well with independents. They know we're in a fix. They're not looking for a cage match, they want calm, reasoned leadership.

And that's the underlying reason McCain has plummeted in the polls. Here's a test. The word "hothead," which candidate does that describe, McCain or Obama? To borrow George Will's phrase, "It is not Barack Obama." In a time of uncertainty, when the country wants to be reassured, the last thing people want is an unpredictable guy who is clearly making it up as he goes along.

The ironic closure to this news cycle? The story that McCain and his campaign are in deep with the gambling industry. No, that's not a metaphor this time.