McCain’s always been better as the underdog, so this new strategy to get tough on Obama could work for him. If anyone can pull it off it’s probably him. But after the last debate a lot of people noted that Obama looked happy and optimistic while McCain just looked grumpy. Americans don’t vote for grumpy–or angry, or mean, or any other overwhelmingly negative personality trait. I have no doubt that McCain will get in some great jabs and will seem more “presidential” than he has in recent weeks, now that he is definitely behind. (Ironically, this leader is not very good when in the lead.) And maybe he can even do those things with a more genuine-looking smile. But Obama has already begun to seal the deal on seeming “acceptable” and “presidential”–people can see him in that role, after the first debate and the various economic crisis press conferences–so it seems a bit late in the game to try to tie him to Tony Rezko now. That stuff has been in the news since the primaries, and it hasn’t stuck yet; betting that it will stick now, when voters are more inclined to give Obama the benefit of the doubt, is another Hail Mary pass that probably won’t work.
