The other dynamic here is that it doesn't hurt Obama to make this thing look closer than it may end up being. Let McCain think he's on the winning path. Let them get cocky.

Obviously, the "celeb" line of attack is designed to neutralize Obama's convention speech. I suspect, however, that during that speech we will see the celeb narrative come back and bite McCain in big way, effectively washing away all the work they have done over the past month in trying to paint that picture.

How? We have seen glimpses of it already, but I think (hope?) the message from Obama at the convention is going to something along the lines of this:

The people here tonight, and the millions of people that have contributed and are participating in the campaign, are not doing so for me. It is not my voice or my words that they have come to hear. It not my voice or words that John McCain is attacking and trying to diminish. It is your voice. They are your words. They are words and voices I have heard from coast to coast...(insert cities/towns)... the people of this country want change. After 8 years of disastrous policy...(list examples) it is time for change. People are excited, as they should be, because they see now that this is the moment and time to bring about real change.

So when the John McCain attacks me as being nothing more than a "celebrity" with no substance, offering nothing but empty rhetoric and false promises, understand that who they are truly attacking is you. Because for all his rhetoric John McCain, like Bush before him, are the profiteers of the status quo. They do not want change, and they want to silence the call for change.

...or something like that.

I am a fan of, and former competitor in, motor racing; in particular, motorcycle racing, and especially roadracing. I'm going to draw some comparisons between racing strategy and political campaigning, so please bear with me.

When you have a strong race package (handling, power, and a good setup) there are two ways you can go about winning a race:

1)Go all out from the drop of the green flag and push as hard as possible, building a gap on your competition, and making them try to keep up with you. The advantages in this strategy are that you force your opponents to show whatever they have early in order to match your pace; and by building such an early lead you devastate your opponents' confidence. The danger in this strategy is that you could use up your tires or your fuel supply, or you could make a mistake and run off the track while pushing so hard. In essence, you beat yourself.

-or-

2)Hang back just a bit for the majority of the race, watching for weakness from your competition, noting in which corners they leave little openings, where they don't use the brakes as effectively, etc. Then, a lap or two before the checkered flag, you make your move decisively and give no quarter for the rest of the race.

The advantage of this strategy is that you have conserved your resources so that at the end you have the ability to use everything to maximum effectiveness. The danger is that if your opponent has also been holding something in reserve you can now have a real challenge on your hands and what seemed like an easy win becomes a real struggle.

When it is time for the pass, you have to be willing to stick it up in there, push your opponent aside and even off the track. You have to be willing to put your opponent into the gravel trap or on his head.

Just like this last-lap footage of a MotoGP race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFy3rqE_pqk&NR=1

And so it goes in politics: as described by Pickabone above, Obama's campaign:

"focuses again on building local operations all across the country. And if campaign cash works for buying air-time and paying image consultants, think of what it can do for paying for canvassers, ride-sharing, and all the last-minute mobilization efforts that make the difference in swing races"

This, to me, is analogous to saving the tires and the fuel. And I hope the Obama campaign is taking note of numerous McCain gaffes along the way, places where the McCain race effort is 'leaving the door open,' as racers say.

Gaffes like misplacing countries on the map, or making jokes about bombing other sovereign nations, or declaring that you need $5M in the bank to be considered rich.

And given McCain's voting record, personal history, and ethical shortcomings, I contend that McCain's race set-up is considerably weaker from the start.

I see the conventions as the beginning of the last lap. The VPs will be known (including their weaknesses and strengths). All the money will be on the table; no time restrictions will remain. No holding back. The debates will be the probing moments, and any weakness will be exploited. I hope and pray that the Obama campaign has the resources and fortitude to make that last lap pass.

I want Obama to make that decisive pass when the time comes. I don't want him to go out like the Spanish gentleman in the video. He needs to race like the Italian World Champion: he needs to push McCain out into the kitty litter. Racing is just a sport; in politics, lives depend on the outcome.

Give Dean some credit for getting this started with his 50 state campaign.

Obama clearly knows what he is doing. This election will not be close unless the Repubs manage to rig things a lot more than they did in 2006, which they won't. Too many eyes on them now, and too few electronic voting machines still in use.

Meanwhile, McCain is spending everything he's got, which he has to before the federal funds get there - on political ads in selected states. It will have a temporary effect on the polls, but the polls don't win you anything.

Meanwhile, after McBush runs out of cash, the Obama people will continue setting up shop in ALL 50 STATES, registrating, registrating, registrating new voters. And ALL of them are "unlikely" voters according to the polls. LOL