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McCain Must Put Bite In Underdog

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By LIZ SIDOTI

The Associated Press

Published: July 6, 2008

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement.

The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year that favors Democrats.

McCain of Arizona also doesn't seem to have a coherent message let alone much of a strategy.

"This is a tough race. We are behind. We are the underdog. That's what I like to be," the GOP nominee-in-waiting frequently tells donors, keenly aware not only of his woes but his proven comeback ability: He won his party's nomination despite the implosion of his campaign last summer.

One year later, and now in the general election, McCain's troubles are so acute that he recently gave senior adviser Steve Schmidt "full operational control" of the day-to-day campaign and, effectively, scaled back the duties of campaign manager Rick Davis. The shift in responsibilities came after weeks of Republican quibbling that McCain had not adequately made the transition for the fall.

"The frustration is there's no big theme around which to build a winning campaign," said Steve Lombardo, a Republican pollster. "They need a big strategic message that will show the differences between the two campaigns, and allow for a win."

Hope is far from lost: The national conventions and the presidential debates are upcoming. Conservative evangelical leaders skeptical of McCain are coalescing around him. The race remains competitive. And Obama's campaign is far from flawless.

McCain also is beefing up his staff with more presidential campaign veterans under the guidance of Schmidt, a top aide in President Bush's re-election effort and the operative who led Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to a come-from-behind win in California two years ago.

For now, GOP insiders are cautious as they watch for improvement - and they should be.

The political environment is dreadful for the GOP, with Bush's approval rating at low levels as the country teeters economically and fights two wars.

And, as McCain's campaign struggles, Obama is seemingly skating along, visiting states Bush won four years ago and courting traditional GOP supporters.

National polls vary widely, but they have one commonality: None show McCain ahead of Obama. And, on voters' most important issues, McCain trails on every subject but Iraq and terrorism. He also lags in key states, including Bush-won Colorado and Ohio.

When it comes to message and strategy, McCain has appeared to flounder.

He hasn't settled on one theme and can't seem to stick with a particular line of argument in favor of his candidacy for more than a couple days.

Said Phil Musser, a former Republican Governors Association executive director: "There are a lot of miles to go before we get to Election Day, and McCain is in his finest form when he's the underdog."

The candidate had better hope that rings true again.

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