Letters to the Editor
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In the long run...
While I'd love a reason to be optimistic about some supposed McCain bubble, I am reminded of Keynes's famous saying, "in the long run, we'll all be dead." Yes, it may be true that someday McCain's bubble will pop. But the timing matters. If it doesn't pop before election day, it doesn't matter to me if it ever does. And I'm not optimistic about whether--whenever the opposition turns its attention to McCain--we will have time to pop it before November. We will have to contend with:
1) The core fanaticism of his supporters, including the press.
2) The vitriol sure to come from the other side.
3) McCain's gravity defying track record of remaining the "trustworthy, rogue, thoughtful, experienced maverick" regardless of his pandering, ideological, and indeed somewhat loony behavior.
Assuming that all it will take is public scrutiny for McCain's support to erode is like assuming that Abu Ghraib would force America into some profound self-analysis and political reckoning. It's pretty to think so, but I can't hold my breath.
From this perspective, I am firmly in the half-empty camp: McCain's solid numbers make me anxious and feisty.