McCain's dilemma

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McCain's attempts to regain the initiative were constrained by the evolving realities of the campaign. He needs to dent Obama's popularity without appearing mean. Thus, gone were the smirks and winces of the first debate, but his criticisms of Obama wobbled between flat attempts at humor -- nailing down his rival's tax plan, McCain lamely offered, "is like trying to nail Jello to the wall" -- and flashes of the condescension he displayed last time, notably his curmudgeonly dismissal of Obama as "that one."

Obama offered openings. His support for "clean coal" is oxymoronic and transparently political. His message on global warming is undermined by his support for expanded domestic oil drilling. And if the debate was sometimes frustrating -- how often must McCain address us as "my friends"; how many times must we suffer Obama's praise for the moderator? -- it did have clarifying moments. Here's one: McCain views healthcare as a responsibility; Obama sees it as a right. That is a genuine distinction upon which voters may hang a choice.

But in purely political terms, Obama has wider latitude, and he's using it. A month ago, Gallup had McCain's support among registered voters at 48% and Obama's at 43%. Today, Obama leads by nine percentage points and, for the first time, is edging above 50%. Battleground states are slipping toward the Democratic column. Sarah Palin was a source of Republican energy; now, she's an anchor.

Neither insults nor 11th-hour initiatives will change that dynamic over the next month. What McCain needs to regain his balance is to persuade voters that he has a cogent, coherent economic proposal and a command over this dominant issue. He did not deliver either Tuesday night.