McCain has used these summer weeks to brand Obama the "celebrity" candidate while the Democratic candidate has steadfastly avoided character-laced assaults on McCain. "If you've got someone raising doubts about you, you've got to be raise doubts about them," says Westen. "Because Obama is so bent on running a positive campaign, the campaign is about him. There's been no real effort to define McCain to the American people." Senator Kerry made the same mistake four years ago. He was so determined to run as an above-the-battle war hero that speakers at the Democratic Convention in Boston were barred from even mentioning President Bush's name, let alone speak out against the war for fear it would be interpreted as opposing the troops.

The Obama campaign promises theirs will not be a Kumbaya convention, that the destruction reaped upon the country by eight years of Bush will be highlighted and hung around McCain's neck. "He has to tell people his whole history and how it informs their vote, how he understands them because he is them," says Westen. "When the opposition is infested with [Karl] Rove acolytes, you have to adapt to realities on the ground." A week later, it's McCain's convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and his master narrative is clear. He's an American hero, strong on defense. That will be his convention theme along with how little we know about Obama. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion hoping for a different outcome.   

© 2008