The Thermostat Question

"In general: Democrats try to turn the Republican into someone you disagree with on the issues. Republicans try to turn the Democrat into someone you wouldn't want to live on your street or let near your children. Is it any wonder the latter is more effective?"

But isn't there a potential backlash among those drawn to Obama's self-proclaimed new brand of politics?

Josh Marshall offers an alternative script that doesn't involve ripping McCain's face off:

"From Obama, honestly, I don't sense a really clear message . . .For my money, the essence of this campaign is -- Are you happy with the way the country's been run for the last 7.5 years. Has our foreign policy left us better off? Republican economic policy? You can go through all the different facets. But it's clear that the public overwhelmingly thinks the Bush presidency has been little short of a disaster. And do you want four more years of that? If that's the frame of the election, McCain will be crushed."

Obama leads McCain 45-42 in a NYT poll:

"Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is still closely associated with the deeply unpopular President Bush: nearly half of those surveyed said they expected him to continue the Bush administration's policies if he is elected president. But voters, by a wide margin, view Mr. McCain as better prepared to be president than Mr. Obama, and as more likely to be an effective commander-in-chief.

"Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was trusted more by voters to handle their top concern, the economy. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they were confident that Mr. Obama would make the right decisions on the economy, compared with 54 percent who expressed confidence that Mr. McCain would. When it came to foreign policy, the image was inverted: 66 percent expressed confidence in Mr. McCain to make the right decisions, and 55 percent in Mr. Obama."

A WSJ/NBC poll has Obama by the same statistically insignificant 45-42 margin: "The Obama campaign's biggest challenge may be attracting Sen. Clinton's supporters to his campaign. Only half the people who voted for Sen. Clinton in the primaries said they are now supporting Sen. Obama. One in five is supporting Sen. McCain."

The veepstakes chatter got hot and heavy again with a report that landed on Politico:

"BREAKING: In an encouraging sign for Bayh-for-veep supporters, the Nashville (Tenn.) Post is reporting that 'senior campaign officials from the Barack Obama presidential campaign are being dispatched from various locations around the country and are converging in Indianapolis for a "major event" to take place on Sunday.' Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh has been widely discussed as one of the final names on Obama's short list. The Post notes that Obama's first joint appearance with his running mate may take place in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday morning.'

"UPDATE: An Obama aide denied the report."

Never mind.