Can you not feel how the enthusiasm that has attached itself to the Obama campaign has waned a bit? Maybe even a a good deal. That he is ahead in all the polls is not so much the issue because (given Bush’s unpopularity, the last year of his term, the creaky economy, etc.) the issue is how come he is not ahead by twenty or more points (instead of five or six)? Obama has been making some mistakes, mistakes that go along with his lack of experience, and mistakes due to the fact he is, after all, a Democrat (he therefore also has some baggege to carry). Hillary’s uncivil manner of bowing out of the race hasn’t helped her party or Obama. Obama’s attempt to use the standard Democratic insiders (as in Jim Johnson) to help him select a VP has revealed that he is more of an ordinary politician than the one who walked on water just a few weeks ago. He is certainly no longer the Charisma Machine. And do note that some Democrats are not endorsing him, at least not yet. All this just shows that politics is not bean bag, and Obama may be a mere human, albeit young and inexperienced and lucid, yet, also a not yet fully known person. The hesitation now settles in. In the meantime, McCain has nowhere to go but up.
It's done far more than merely wane "a bit."
There is a serious case of buyer's remorse going on in the ranks of the Democrats.
And I concur that McCain has nowhere to go but up, whereas the false messiah peaked sometime ago.
Pat Buchanan said the other day that if his campaign is played right, McCain could easily trounce Obama; and I think that's possible too. Not a sure thing by any lengths, but very possible.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Obama's lead after a few debates. In any event, the endorsement reticence that you noted is at least as much of a problem for McCain. To wit:
"While some conservative Democrats have yet to endorse Obama and didn’t back Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, there are both centrist and conservative Republicans representing various parts of the country who are not embracing McCain."
There is barely any enthusiasm at all to be found for McCain. And I think Obama and his supporters will make it
much more difficult for the Right to pull off another Swift Boat campaign with any degree of success.
Enthusiasm is nice, votes are better. There are not a majority of voters who want taxes to rise and a cut and run in Iraq.
To clarify: wanting to end a war is not the same as wanting to lose it, and Obama and his principal supporters and allies want to lose. Most people would rather win, and if it even the New York Times keeps writing about progress and AQI being whacked, most people will not want to throw it all away just to reiterate that they think George Bush was bad and stupid in 2003.