With friends like this, who needs enemies?

We spent some time last week talking first about how aggressive Democrat operatives and their press buddies blew a chance to challenge the qualifications Republican V.P pick Gov. Sarah Palin.  Instead of using precise attacks, they attempted to use a blunt meat ax.

Music please: dumb, de dumb dumb.

The D's just got out PR'd all of the last two weeks: Sen. McCain jumps Sen. Obama's speech with the Palin pick, the aftermath of Gustav results in a non-destroyed New Orleans and LOWER fuel prices, and the press goes all tone deaf Rambo on Gov. Palin.  Go figure!  Instead of raising doubts about her qualifications, they rally conservatives skeptical of Sen. McCain into his arms with their stumblin' bumblin' fumblin' attacks on her family, and the poll results show it.

If I'm Sen. Obama, I tell my friends in the press to shut up!  But they won't.  Here's HOW NOT to do it, here's HOW to do it.

Sen. McCain should be way behind at this point in the election, but he's not.  There's a reason for the Arizona's more disciplined and aggressive approach:  Steve Schmidt, someone you don't know, but will.

So right now the race is a virtual tie.  A spate of new polls will demonstrate that over the next few days, and right now the trends are going in Sen. McCain's favor.  Hurricane Ike is out in the Caribbean, and it could be the biggest newsmaker this week.  The Obama camp has to get off high center this week or else face a meltdown of Dukakian proportions.  But any hiccup in the economy, including a big fuel price spike or other Bush Administration stumble could doom Sen. McCain.  Both campaigns must manage every single day's news events like it is the last day of the campaign.

It's only 58 days until the election, and I'm reminded of Flounder's words from the movie Animal House which apply to those remaining days before we vote: "Boy, is this going to be great!"