In his post “UMNO and the Democrats”, the Furry commented that “the Dems have to get their shit together FAST,” and warned that an extended fight could see the ultimate democratic nominee facing a well entrenched John McCain. Well, McCain is entrenching himself. While the Democrats continue to dominate the nation’s airwaves, John McCain is quietly building his image in the manner in which he is most comfortable - town hall gatherings; the small, personal, face-to-face meetings with the people that he so revels in.

It remains to be seen how well his efforts will pay off – he’s been twisting himself like a pretzel, toeing the Republican line on the economy and social welfare. He’s still tied strongly to Iraq and has a number of skeletons in his closet that include his own ties to lobbyists and well publicized gaffes during his Middle-East tour. Make no mistake – McCain is eminently beatable.

It’s just that the task of beating him is becoming tougher by the day. The longer the Democratic race goes on, the less time the ultimate nominee will have to introduce his/herself to the public. Coupled with the continuous negativity of the Democratic campaign, both will have substantial reintroducing to do before they can even begin to build their own brand.

If the Bush campaign is any indication, Americans will ultimately vote for those they are most familiar with first. And right now, that is John McCain.