it all adds up

John McCain is in serious trouble. It appears clear that his chances for the Presidency are on life support.. A perfect storm of disasters have attached to Senator McCain from which he is unable to shake free. In no particular order, these calamities are:

1. President Bush- The latest Gallup poll shows his favorability rating at 25 %. It is almost impossible to contemplate a situation where the public has less respect for a President's positions and his intellect. The problem for John McCain is that he has voted with the President over 90% of the time. Having spent over a quarter of a century as a member of the Republican party, McCain must deal with a public that refuses to find a disconnect between the Senator and the President.

2. Sarah Palin- The latest CBS/NYTimes poll shows a 31% favorability rating for the Alaskan governor. As Palin's approval rating has dropped precipitously, Senator McCain has been forced literally to stand (and sit) by her, and give support to the unsupportable. The choice of Govenor Palin as his vice presidential candidate now appears to have been an impetuous act of desperation by Senator McCain. It is an error from which he cannot hide.

3. The economy- 83% of those questioned in the latest Gallup poll, stated the economy was getting worse. Republican practices of deregulation, banking on the market making all necessary corrections, are thought by most to be the baseline reason for this economic tsunami. Try as McCain might to convince the public that he is as outraged as anyone at these past practices, he is going down with this ship.

4. The Iraq war- The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll states that 32% of Americans favor the war and 66% oppose this conflict. The Republicans, and McCain in particular, are tied in to extending this conflict for the indefinite future. The cost in lives and dollars has taken an enormous toll on the psyche of many Americans. Even though this is an issue that is not as much a drag on McCain's candidacy as the others herein discussed, on balance it is an uphill battle for him to overcome an unpopular war.

Day by day, Senator McCain's voice grows fainter in the face of these crushing numbers. If he is unable to turn these figures around between now and November 4, on that day it appears that he will be rendered silent.

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