I know I'm going out on a very wobbly limb here, but I think there is a case to be made that the 2008 election could be a landslide - for McCain.  However, my case depends on McCain doing everything right and the polished Obama making a lot of mistakes.  In reality both candidates have shown themselves quite capable of horrendous mistakes. The crux of my argument though is that Obama is so radically left-wing that he's miles and miles from the American mainstream.  There would be a landslide for John McCain - if... if McCain can come across as a capable leader and if McCain can convince America of just who the real Barack Obama is.  If Obama's true radical nature is captured by John McCain in this campaign, and if McCain can convince Americans that he's a steady and capable leader, then he will win in a landslide. 

Many questions remain of course.  John McCain has had recent flip-flops on offshore drilling.  First he was against it, now he's for it.  At least he moved in the right direction.  Obama has had bizarre flip flops on the Iraq war.  First we should get out ASAP, then after it is recognized by everyone that the "surge" is working, he says we should still get out ASAP.  He also says the surge may have worked, but because it was President Bush's idea it didn't really work.  But he says, we should begin a new surge in Afghanistan.  Although he still maintains the Iraqi surge didn't really help.  If he continues to go on like that and if McCain continues with his flip flops and bizarre statements (like saying he's not for any payroll tax increase and then saying "all suggestions are on the table" including tax increases) then this will be a very close race indeed.  But if McCain can get his act together and stop saying contradictory things, if he can learn to think like a conservative, he will beat Obama hands down. 

There are encouraging signs.  A recent Rasmussen poll shows Americans are breaking towards McCain on the major issues of the day.   That could be an indication that the public is recognizing just how radical Obama is.  Another encouraging sign in today's Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking poll is evidence that Americans are catching on (by 46%) that Obama views U.S. society as unfair and discriminatory.  That's up from 43% in July and 39% in June.  But the most encouraging news is that by a three-to-one margin (75% - 25%) Americans hold the opposite view and believe our society is generally fair and decent.  

Obama and his wife and his pastor and his new pastor and many of his high-level supporters all hold extremely negative views of America.  This goes against the grain of the American electorate though.  So if McCain and the Republicans can bring this fact out and make it obvious for all to see - I really think McCain could end up winning in a landslide.  I just don't see Americans voting for the real Obama.  If they do it will be because he was successful in hiding his true identity from them.  Which is something that he may have learned, by the way, from all his pals who he now says "aren't the friend I knew"!  His pastor is suddenly "not the man I knew".  Some of his supporters like Tony Rezko are suddenly "not the person I knew".  So he's had a lot of contact with people who were well versed in hiding who they were.  He may have picked something up from them!