Barack need to come straight out and say a vote for McCain is a vote to raise middle class taxes.  He needs to call his (Obama's) tax cut the largest middle class tax cut in history.

Rinse and repeat

Time to update that old PT Barnum saying: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American Public".

Revised: "Nobody ever got elected President overestimating the intelligence of the American Public".

Slogans work.  "Fight 'em over there" "Cut and run." "He'll raise your taxes"

Rovian politics still works.  Attack the other guy where you feel weakest. 

By the way.  I just saw latest Obama ad in Colorado attacking McCain on taxes: "$200 billion for corporations.  $4 billion for big oil.  100 million Americans get no tax relief.  Barack will cut your taxes 3 times as much as McCain."  'Bout time!!!!

My God could Obama be more like Dukakis?
"I'm gonna stamp my feet and hold my breath until John McCain stops challenging my patriotism and character". 

What a wimp!  The high road only leads to defeat.  It's getting a little late in the game to respond to attacks with whining.  When you act wimpy, people think you're a wimp.

Obama needs to know:  Americans do not vote for the nice guy at least the first time around.  They vote for whomever most closely resembles a junkyard dog.  Obama isn't leading by a bigger margin because Americans, especially white males and the elderly, are primarily driven by fear; not hope.

If you scare 'em you'll win.  He's got to make John McCain scary to old people.  He needs to utterly destroy his reputation, to the point where he couldn't get elected dog catcher in Sedona.