Election 'all about Obama'

Despite the negative spin from the Politico, this is actually good news for the Republican candidate:

McCain's aides recognize that the race is becoming centered on Obama, and hope to leverage that dynamic by bolstering their assault on the Democratic nominee-in-waiting.

As Patrick Ruffini has said, in almost so many words, a referendum on Obama is really the only election John McCain can win. The Democrats want a referendum on Bush and the GOP -- the "Bush-McCain policy" meme. Team McCain is trying to set up a choice between Obama and Not Obama.

Both sides are running nebulous, personality-oriented campaigns. The problem for Team Obama is that their Rorschach inkblot candidate -- the tabula rasa of "Hope" onto whom progressives have projected their internal longings -- is subject to starkly different (and extremely negative) interpretations, whereas Team McCain's "straight-talking Maverick war hero" is a well-established persona who can't be so easily molded in the minds of the electorate.

As any honest observed must acknowledge, the Republicans are at a tremendous disadvantage this year, and John McCain is not exactly a campaign consultants ideal candidate. But Team McCain may yet win, provided that they can fight on the battlefield of their choosing. If the Democrats accept that this election is about the question of Obama's readiness for the job, they will be fighting the only battle the GOP can hope to win.