Put a fork in it?

The McCain campaign has problems since it has become far behind Obama's in the polls. More troubling is that the shift has come largely from seniors and independents. Another thing is that Palin has become a liability to McCain in the latest polls. With the economy driving the polls could you imagine Romney addressing our crisis verses McCain or Palin? There was no way to see when this all would come down but Romney might have saved McCain.

Is it over? Not yet, anyway. Too many things can happen but it is unlikely that anything will happen that could move the polls 10 points.

I do want to add: Don't believe all that you hear and only half what you see.

Can McCain win?

There is so little time for McCain to win. He is clearly behind and even though numbers are starting to narrow in the polls things are stacked against McCain.

McCain might benefit from the Bradley effect (voting against a black candidate while telling pollsters you will vote for him) but I think that will prove to be negligible. We just didn't see much of it in the primaries. New Hampshire stands out as a possibility but it will take far more than New Hampshire voting McCain for Obama to lose.

From my perspective only a very significant event could put McCain over the top. Something like a terrorist attack, a tremendous controversy or moral lapse on Obama's part would be required. If Tony Rezko pointed out something illegal (and gave evidence) you might see something. Joe the plumber may move votes a percentage point in the Rust Belt but it will not get McCain elected.

I believe that he needs something bigger. Obama is very close to closing the deal with just enough voters and McCain can't put enough distance between himself and this administration (who the voters blame for most of our ills).

Only two weeks from Tuesday and we may have the most liberal government since the 1960's.