Could McCain’s Campaign be any worse?

I can’t believe I was actually nervous when Republicans picked John McCain as their nominee.  Deserved, or not, McCain’s maverick reputation was carved in stone, and he was well liked by Independents and moderate Democrats.  Admittedly, this drove me crazy.  Hell, there were some people who actually believed he was “pro-choice”.  Nuts.

Now that reputation is crumbling, squandered in the way Bush squandered the world’s goodwill after 9/11.  All he has left are the people he spent a career distancing himself from – the “religious” right.

And whose fault is that?

Oh yeah, the McCain campaign has placed themselves in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation time and time again.  Go ahead.  Pick a topic.  McCain screwed it up.

His Vice Presidential pick?  ‘Nuff said.

The economy?  In a desperate attempt to show he knew something, anything, about the economy, McCain staged an elaborate stunt of “suspending” his campaign and rushing back to Washington to show how important his leadership was to the crisis.  How’d that work for him?

Foreign Policy? Is there anyone left who agrees with McCain over Obama when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan? Is there anyone who supports McCain’s stance when it comes to not talking to our “enemies”, including Spain?

Moving quickly away from the economy and foreign policy McCain went where he promised not to go – running a dishonorable campaign and giving new meaning to the term “Politics of Personal Destruction”.  With this shift he was once again forced into bed with a group he had shunned in the past: Rove and company.

Suddenly McCain/Palin (or more accurately Palin/McCain – God, that has to hurt!) were all Ayers all the time.  The talk grew tough, and yet, when McCain had the chance to mention Ayers during the debate he chickened out, suffering criticism, not only from Democrats and the MSM, but from his supporters as well.

The stakes grew after this dodge, and I can almost picture McCain cringing when Obama countered with the universal “say it to my face” line.  Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.  What options are on the table for McCain for the last debate?  If he doesn’t mention Ayers he risks being labeled as a two-faced coward who slinks away rather than say what he’s been saying behind Obama’s back to his face.  And if he does go down the Ayer’s path does anyone believe Obama’s not ready with a counter punch to end all counter punches?  And guess what?  Obama will get a pass on whatever he hits back with because the majority of people understand and approve of the concept of hitting back in self defense.

Oh yeah.  McCain has a big problem with the Ayers situation.  But it’s not his biggest.

His biggest problem lies in the monster he’s unleashed lurking within some of his supporters.  Everyone, including Republicans, is getting nervous.  A line has been crossed.  These rabid supporters aren’t talking policy differences – and can you really blame them since their candidate isn’t talking policy either?  McCain is fueling the fire, inciting a mob mentality which, unless reined in, could ultimately result in someone getting hurt. And I’m not just referring to Obama. Ask yourself how comfortable you’d feel wearing an Obama tee shirt in certain environments. Sorry, liberals may debate you to death, but they rarely physically attack.

Last night McCain finally tried to pull his supporters in line and got booed for his efforts. (Side note: Whoever sat McCain down and gave him a strict talking to deserves a big thank you!) The questions I pose are this: Has McCain’s change of heart come too late? Can he put the flames his campaign set out? Or has this taken on a life of its own, leaving McCain standing on the sidelines, wringing his hands, and fearing he may reap what he has sown?

And is there really anything John McCain can do to save his campaign while extinguishing the over the top hatred of the supporters he has left? Can he do both? Has his choice really come down to “Country First”?

Pandora’s Note: If you feel this post took on a serious note at the end, blame the McCain Campaign. I’ve only followed the path they’ve set us on.