Not that it matters, but I think McCain completely missed his one chance.
During the talks on the 700 billion bailout package - IF - he had come out and said "You know, I've talked with my constituents, and after further reflection, I just can't in good conscience, support the bill". Given the political climate at the time, IF he does that, I think that the race is at worst, a dead heat.
That was his chance to differentiate himself from Pres. Bush, and Obama. He missed it, IMHO.
Yep. While McCain was negotiating a $700 BILLION government give away, the vast majority of Americans saw that as the biggest pork barrel bill of all time (until the zero’s came along). Opposing it as just another wasteful government project would have gone a long way in setting himself apart from the zero. For the last several weeks, his theme could have been, “Obama supported giving away $700 BILLION to companies that deserve to fail because they ran their companies in the ground. I, on the other hand, oppose and will ALWAYS oppose pork barrel spending.”