Defeat from the jaws of victory?

So many things to blog about, so little time...

First, I've got something to say about the perceived weakness of the Obama campaign, and the first national polls ever to put McCain ahead.

True, it's been a disquieting couple of weeks for Obama fans. While the McCain campaign repeatedly attacked him, comparing him to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, questioning his patriotism, lying about what his energy policy consisted of, and otherwise making despicable assholes of themselves, Obama pretty much just sat back and took it.

Sure, he had that good line about Republicans "taking pride in being ignorant", but otherwise, he hasn't shown a whole lot of toughness. His "tough response" the other day was to ask McCain to play nice. Fuck that, he should be going after the bastard!

Point out how McCain is frequently confused and/or clueless. Bring up the fact that McCain has flip-flopped on basically every position he's ever held. Hell, even question his temperament and fitness for office.

So yes, there is a lot of room for improvement on the Democratic side. Of course, this probably isn't helping:

McCain Outspending Obama By Hundreds Of Thousands In Many Core Battleground States

Clearly, Obama is biding his time to some degree, saving his money until after the Convention. Also, he's advertising in more states, but spread thinner, with the intention of making McCain compete in states he would rather not.

I guess it's somewhat encouraging that even with all these attacks and a generally limp Obama response (combined with an ill-timed vacation in Hawaii) McCain has only pulled even, and not vaulted into the lead. And Steve Benen points out that all of us have underestimated Obama before. The ground game is really what it's all about, and the Democrats have a huge advantage in that respect.

And finally, Joe Lieberman is an asshole. If he thinks he has any future in the Senate after November, he's sorely mistaken.