McCain self destructing?

By Ron Beasley

The thing that makes John McCain popular with many independents and some Democrats is his undeserved reputation as a "moderate" and "straight shooter".   Well things haven't being going his way recently and he has gone from being a "straight shooter" to  Rovian sniper.  John Cole has a good rundown of last weeks snipes.  My local Air America affiliate has a poll this morning:

Do you think John McCain will publicly blow his top before the November election?

I think he is already doing it slowly.  In the Washington Post this morning we have this:

McCain Says Obama Plays Politics on Iraq   

One GOP strategist with close ties to McCain's campaign said the new line of attack reflected the operation's "schizophrenic" nature. He said that tendency was also on display last week, as McCain spoke at length about media coverage of Obama rather than sticking with his plan to focus on the economy.

"They couldn't help themselves," the strategist said, adding that the ad over the hospital visit is "churlish and unlike McCain, and hardly will resonate with the swing voters who are going to decide this election." The strategist continued: "They're doing it because the candidate, and the campaign, is not happy with where they are and they're lashing out."

And how is it going over?  Joe Gandelman:

Yours truly is a “swing voter” who registered as a Republican in 2000 to vote for McCain in the California primary. This ad most assuredly did “not resonate” with me. It didn’t reflect the kind of campaign we have advocated seeing on TMV over the past nearly four years. It seemed to have the tone and accuracy of the kind of ad Karl Rove would have used against McCain in South Carolina in 2000.

John McCain is blowing his top slowly.  Not only is McCain a near Bush administration clone when it comes to policy he is now a Rovian political clone.