Cheat Sheet

In a piece for the New York Times Magazine, Robert Draper peers behind the curtain of the McCain operation and cycles through, by his count, the six narratives that the campaign has pushed. (The latest being “The Fighter (Again) vs. the Tax-and-Spend Liberal”). But what’s remarkable about the piece is the extent to which McCain, who is supposed to be a born leader, is, in fact, the creature of his advisers. His chief campaign strategist, Steve Schmidt, severed McCain from his old garrulous self by insisting that the candidate keep the media at bay. Schmidt and other advisers apparently chose Sarah Palin (who, it turns out, has a voice coach) as his best-possible running mate before they even mentioned her to McCain. When all is said and done, it seems that McCain’s campaign will be best by a new narrative: McCain vs. his advisers.