This can’t be good news:
McCain’s favorability ratings have declined over the past nine months. Among independents, his support has dropped 15 percentage points since March. Independents were his strongest supporters when he sought the Republican nomination in 2000. The decline comes at a time when McCain is calling for sending more troops to Iraq and has aggressively reached out to conservative groups and Christian conservative leaders.
Still, if, mirabile dictu, Iraq does not descend into civil war, and Bush lines up McCain as his successor, he may still win the nomination. The Christianist wing really doesn’t have a strong candidate right now. And the GOP often rewards its elders, especially the loyal ones who run before and lost.
The Dish 