Too Late

Is McCain losing this race, or is he getting beat by monumental events, the political equivalent of acts of God? McCain's definitely had his shortcomings despite the financial meltdown.

Yesterday on This Week, George Will quoted General MacArthur to offer an explanation of McCain's failures up to this point.

"The history of the failure of war can almost be summed up in two words: too late.
* Too late in comprehending the deadly purpose of a potential enemy.
* Too late in realizing the mortal danger.
* Too late in preparedness.
* Too late in uniting all possible forces for resistance.
* Too late in standing with one's friends."

Perhaps. But the reality is that while all forces are lined up in favor of a win for Democrats, McCain is still running just a few points behind Barack. With some better arguments, with a better theme, and one good debate performance this week, things could turn John's way.

We still need a story from McCain that people can latch onto - a compelling narrative about where the country is at, what is needed to fix it, and why he's the man. They've spent tons of time knocking down Barack, but not much effort has been put into elevating McCain to presidential stature.