Endorsing Bruce Lunsford: The Only Way McCain Can Save His Campaign

The worm has turned on the John McCain presidential campaign. Obama's back ahead in the RealClearPolitics poll average while the Gallup tracking poll has shown either Obama gaining or stayed the same for at least the last eight days. McCain also finds himself on the defensive as he has to cover up his gaffes about "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" and defend Sara Palin against accusations that she's abused power and systematically lied about her record.

Moreover, McCain falling flat in his attempts to articulate a populist stand in relation to the Wall Street financial crisis. Few people believe McCain when he says that failed companies like Lehman Brothers were greedy and that he would fire the chairman of the SEC. But why does McCain have so little credibility? Much of McCain's problem is that the "McCain Maverick" brand has been tarnished with dishonesty as McCain and Palin have continued to push the false claim that Palin stopped the infamous "bridge to nowhere" project. Given the widespread belief that McCain is lying about one of his central advertising points, voters and pundits are right to doubt that he's being honest in his denunciations of Wall Street.

So, how does McCain re-establish the "Maverick" brand that would give him more credibility as he attacks "the Establishment" on economic issues?

The best thing McCain could do would be to endorse Bruce Lunsford over incumbent Republican Mitch McConnell in the Kentucky Senate race.

Endorsing Lunsford over McConnell would bring John McCain's populist slogans to life.

The McCain/Palin ticket wants to "shake things up" in Washington. Nothing would shake things up more than a Republican presidential candidate endorsing the Democratic candidate over the Senate Republican leader.

McCain wants to attack what Palin calls "the old boys network." Mitch McConnell is the hub of the old boys network in the Republican Party. In fact, McConnell has driven the driving force in the Senate Republican fundraising apparatus for years. According to the Lexington, KY Herald-Leader.

McConnell's rise to the top of Congress is testament to the power of money in modern politics. He has raised nearly $220 million over his Senate career; he spent the majority not on his own campaigns but on those of his GOP colleagues, who have rewarded him with power.

John McCain should have personal knowledge of that because McConnell has usually been the most determined opponent of McCain's efforts to limit the influence of money in politics.

A leader in the field of tapping the wealthy for campaign cash, McConnell also led the opposition against efforts to rein in such donations through campaign-finance reform -- a fight that has taken him to the U.S. Supreme Court and put him toe-to-toe against another emerging Republican leader, presidential hopeful McCain.

McCain also says he wants to get beyond partisan gridlock. Certainly, there's nobody who is more dedicated to Republican partisanship and Washington gridlock than Mitch McConnell. McConnell even refers to himself as "a proud guardian of gridlock." Even worse, McConnell has set new records for obstructive filibustering in the Senate since he became Republican leader.

Even better, McCain can claim that he's putting "country first" over friendship by talking about how he's endorsing McConnell's opponent despite twenty-four years of serving in the Senate with Mitch McConnell.

If McCain wants to reclaim his "inner maverick," he'll endorse Bruce Lunsford over Mitch McConnell as soon as possible.