No Wiggle Room for Senator McCain

By Baxter

We cats aren't seeing a lot of good news for John McCain today.

First, his trip to Latin America seems to have been pretty much a bust. The dramatic hostage rescue in Colombia pushed him off the front page last week — and for the rest of his journey the MSM consensus boiled down to: "WHAT is Senator McCain doing, cavorting against a backdrop of historic churches and lush tropical foliage, when Americans are feeling such economic pain at home?"

Then this morning, The Washington Post published this article about the Republican platform and how conservative activists are ready to push back against their presumptive nominee on issues such as global warming and immigration. "The current GOP platform is a 100-page document, and all but nine pages mention Bush's name," The Post says. "Virtually the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the President, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon."

We're not really sure how Senator McCain is going to run away from the Republican brand come convention time.

But to add insult to injury, check out these recent state polls:

• Mississippi — McCain 50%, Obama 44% (Rasmussen, 6/27)
• Ohio — Obama 48%, McCain 46% (Survey USA, 6/27)
• New Jersey — Obama 49%, McCain 33% (Fairleigh Dickinson University, 6/27)
• Texas — McCain 48%, Obama 39% (Rasmussen, 6/28)
• Virginia — Obama 49%, McCain 47% (Survey USA, 6/30)
• North Carolina — McCain 45%, Obama 41% (PPD, 7/1)
• Massachusetts — Obama 52%, McCain 33% (Rasmussen, 7/2)
• Louisiana — McCain 52%, Obama 36% (Southern Media, 7/2)
• Florida — McCain 49%, Obama 45% (Strategic Vision, 7/2)
• Georgia — McCain 51%, Obama 43%, Barr 3% (Strategic Vision, 7/2)
• Montana — Obama 48%, McCain 43% (Rasmussen, 7/3)
• New York — Obama 60%, McCain 29% (Rasmussen, 7/3)
• Rhode Island — Obama 55%, McCain 31% (Rasumussen, 7/5)
• Connecticut — Obama 57%, McCain 35% (Research 2000, 7/5)

If you're not into lists, here's some quick, cut-to-the-chase analysis: It already was a given that the McCain campaign would have to spend big money in states like Florida, Virginia and Ohio. But now, these polls show that they're ALSO going to have to spend big-time in states like North Carolina, Mississippi, Montana and Georgia — which should already be comfortably in the GOP column. Whoops!

And just to keep everything in historical perspective: In 1972, George McGovern got 29 percent of the vote in Mississippi.

John McCain GROWLS. But we cats PURR.