The Albatross

From Election diary: George W Albatross by Rob Reynolds:

John McCain, the Republican party's ancient mariner (aged 71, navy man) has a very heavy weight around his neck that threatens to sink his White House hopes.

President George Bush is the bird McCain cant get rid of. Right now, Bush's approval rating is at 28 per cent, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, but even worse, 54 per cent say that they want a president who would bring major change to existing government policies - even if that person isn't heavily experienced.

Just 42 per cent said they would rather have more experience even if it meant less change. When it comes to who, exactly, would bring about real change, 48 per cent say Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate, while just 21 per cent picked McCain.

So far, McCain has been casting the race between himself and Obama as experience versus change; that didn't work out that well for Hillary Clinton, and there's no reason to think it will work any better for McCain.

Read the rest here.