McCain's Gamble

John McCain undertook a major shakeup of his campaign staff this week that many believe was long overdue. Since becoming the Republican standard-bearer McCain has raised a significant amount of money that is sorely needed, but his campaign seemed to lack focus.

That should change now that seasoned veterans are in charge.

But it is always a gamble to shift personnel in a campaign.

In order to connect with the voters at the two benchmarks at which McCain is strongest, he will have to begin to focus squarely on his maturity and experience in the realm of defence, the War on Terror, and U.S. foreign policy. And he will need to zero-in on economic issues that impact Americans in their wallets, such as U.S. energy policy, the problem of ethanol driving up food prices, and bringing relief to the consumer at the gasoline pump.

McCain has already laid out a detailed plan for economic expansion and growth that focuses on extending the Bush tax cuts, providing relief to businesses by lowering their top tax rate from 35% to 25%, and by proposing a temporary moratorium on the federal gas tax.

A major hallmark of the McCain energy plan is to prepare for the future with alternatives but provide relief in the short term by drilling for more oil right here at home.

This is a sound policy, given that the country is not yet ready to sustain an economy based upon alternative fuels alone.

McCain's proposal for awarding a $300-million-dollar prize to an American entrepreneur who develops new technology to 'leap over' hybrid technology and develop an effective, viable all-electric vehicle is an interesting one.

The question is, just how prudent is this particular proposal when there are a few entrepreneurs who are working on new gasoline engines that will get 300-400 miles per gallon by doing nothing more than creating features that make the engines super-efficient?

It would seem that both of these proposals have merit, and thus, why should the government reward one and not the other?

McCain must begin to differentiate his energy proposals from those of Barack Obama, which the mainstream media has designated as 'similar to McCain's.' Nothing could be further from the truth.

Obama is against drilling here at home. He is against building more refineries or expanding refinery capacity. He is against nuclear energy, the cleanest form of energy available on earth. He is against expanding wind-based power. He is against curbing the production of ethanol which has wreaked havoc on the entire world economy, taking food out of the mouths of the hungry in impoverished nations.

McCain's proposals are diametrically opposite, yet you will never hear this from the talking heads on network TV.

McCain should make it clear that Obama's proposals are so similar to Jimmy Carter's in 1976-- proposals that led to long gas lines, skyrocketing gas prices, runaway inflation, and interest rates of 24%--that an Obama Presidency would be tantamount to Jimmy Carter's second term.

And as for the other benchmark issue, McCain's strength on defense, foreign policy, and the War on Terror, should be a no-brainer for his campaign. Obama is highly vulnerable here, and that is an understatement. His frightening lack of experience on the world stage and his entirely naive views of the world should give pause to any thinking American.

McCain should exploit these vulnerabilities every chance he gets.

If McCain's new campaign team is worth its salt, we should see these changes implemented at once. It is a gamble worth taking but not without solid principle to undergird and lessen the risks.

McCain Requests Bush to Back Off

John McCain has requested that President Bush scale back his plans to attend and speak at McCain campaign events. Mr. Bush had offered to campaign heavily for McCain once it was clear that the Arizona Senator had won enough delegates to the GOP Convention to secure the nomination.

But even then, McCain appeared hesitant to have Bush campaigning heavily on his behalf, stating that he would be pleased for the President to speak at campaign events 'if he can fit it into his busy schedule.'

Most observers believe that the statement was a nice way for McCain to let the President know that he did not think Bush's full involvement in the campaign was such a good idea.

Yesterday, however, the McCain camp requested that the President scale back plans to speak at the events on which the two had already agreed. The reason is not far to find. Bush has become one of the most unpopular Presidents in U.S. history, and McCain fears a misconception that the two are close allies.

The President has already done significant damage to the 'Republican brand,' and there is a distinct danger that he could drag McCain down as well. McCain's advantage is that he has not hesitated to break ranks with the President and other Republicans on a number of issues.

And it is not to be forgotten that during the race for the 2000 GOP Presidential nomination, Bush and McCain were bitter rivals. In spite of mended fences since that time, McCain has never been viewed as a foot-soldier for the President in the Senate.

Bush would do well to leave well enough alone and back off from interjecting himself too much into McCain's bid for the White House. He may do him more harm than good.