McCain Dismisses Polls, Admires Purple Unicorns
Updated: Anyone Who Doubts The Maverick™ Must be "Smoking Something"

Delusion, thy name is Maverick™.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday dismissed polls that show him slipping into single digits, arguing that his campaign is going through the typical ups and downs and will be fine this fall.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the Arizona senator also defended his support for a bipartisan immigration bill, a stance that has undercut his bid in early voting South Carolina.

And it's not just the polls. The money men in the McCain camp are starting to feel the pinch as well. McCain/Kennedy has killed McCain 2008, but that's not something the senator is willing to acknowledge quite yet, so he's doing what any good Republican candidate would - grasping on to a media meme with both hands.

The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee acknowledged that his backing for the Iraq war has hurt his candidacy elsewhere in the country.

"I've got to do what's right," McCain told the AP. "In South Carolina, the war doesn't hurt me as much as in other parts of the country. It has hurt my candidacy."

The Arizona senator's willingness to jump on the media bandwagon and parrot their talking point shows either desperation or total disconnect from what Republican voters find important. It's been said before, but it's worth repeating: it's not the war, senator, it's the amnesty.

A recent state poll showed McCain at just 7 percent in the race with top rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, and Fred Thompson close to announcing. A survey in Iowa also showed McCain in single digits.

"That poll is just not true," McCain said in the interview, referring to the South Carolina poll. With "veterans alone, we are doing much better than that."

To steal an Allah feature, exit questions: Is this a summer slump or the death throes for the campaign? Assuming the campaign is in trouble, will McCain drop out of the race before the first primaries, or is he stubborn enough to stay on until he loses a couple?

Bonus - Anyone who says McCain is in trouble is "smoking something," according to The Maverick™. The Toady just grins.

posted by Slublog at 09:10 AM

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