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If John McCain remains -- even from the mouths of Democrats -- the Honored, Honorable, Principled, Heroic Maverick, the GOP chances will be as high as they can be.
McCain is some of those things but not all of them. It would be foolish to attempt to deny McCain his hero status as a POW. Let him have that. The rest of it, though -- the most important stuff, his alleged independence from Bush/Republicans -- is now no more than historical legend. That is what matters. That is where the focus should remain: on McCain's policies with emphasis, as necessary, on McCain departure from his image now that he is the Republican nominee. There is nothing wrong with a bit of grace as long as you throw punches when necessary. I thought Obama did just fine in the immediate advance of the convention (I was getting worried for a bit, I confess), throughout the convention, and now. Frankly, it's pathetic that John McCain has shed his fabled independence and reduced himself to a shell (including with his VP pick) in order to get the nomination and secure his Republican base. Yes, he's a war hero. Lots of others are, too. They deserve praise but not the presidency.
