Will McCain win?

From Utah, Idaho, Oregon trip

If McCain wins this election, it will be a real head scratcher. Many of his politics, notably environmental credentials, are much more moderate than Bush's. Furthermore, he seems to be more self aware than the current executive, but his economic and foreign affairs positions are nearly identical to Bush's, which are the two least popular aspects of Bush's unpopular tenure in the Whitehouse, not to mention scandal after scandal showing gross ethical lapses.

Are people actually not that mad at Bush? Do they not trust Obama? Has McCain won over his skeptical base and moderates at the same time? We'll only know some of the answers after election day. I think people are most concerned about Obama's short tenure in Washington, which is probably the reason he is the Democratic nominee.

Speaking of scandals, I think Palin's politcal style of personal attacks and vengence are just the type of warning signs that indicate future trouble in a McCain/Palin administration. It's hard to predict what her role would be: has Cheney strengthened the vice president's office permanently, or was his influence a one-time event? Either way, people are probably viewing her more carefully due to McCain's age, as she would be more likely to step in than most other past VPs.