McCain's Down, But Not Out

With Obama pulling well ahead of the Straight Talk Express, "the 2008 campaign seems poised to enter its Harry Truman phase," writes Walter Shapiro in Salon. But a November comeback isn’t out of the question. Shapiro runs down four factors that could push McCain into the White House:

1. The elastic electorate: There are likely more “undecideds” out there than polls show. Plus, "it is ludicrous to believe that public opinion will be frozen in amber" for the next 3 weeks.

2. A game-changing event: Sure, it's tacky to speculate, but a new attack or even the threat of one from al-Qaeda could push voters toward McCain.
3. A "Maverick" move: Past gambles (suspending his campaign, Sarah “you betcha” Palin) haven’t provided bounce, but something drastic, like a full repudiation of Bush’s presidency, could change minds.
4. Dropping Iowa, and his hubris: McCain needs to cede states he can’t win and concentrate on states where he still has a chance.