The missteps are starting to add up.

Mike Huckabee should have been offered a more visible presence with the campaign, especially since he was always very generous with his comments toward McCain during the primary. Just as Governor Giuliani is now point man for the campaign on Homeland Security issues, and Gov. Crist of Florida is a moderate presence never far from a McCain photo op, Mike Huckabee should have been somewhere in the mix, maybe as McCain’s point person to social conservatives.

Most recently, the campaign chose not to respond to invitations by Pat Robertson to appear on his “700 Club”. Obama accepted and had two days of nationwide media coverage directly into the homes of hundreds of thousands of religious conservatives.

In Indianapolis just a few weeks ago, The Southern Baptist Convention—the second largest denomination in America—had their annual convention and Senator McCain chose not to address that gathering either.

At this point I attribute the blame to senior staff and not the senator. But at some point the burden of responsibility will shift to the candidate himself.

Missed opportunities are adding up. Clearly it’s time for some immediate changes. I believe Senator McCain can and should be a leader of all the people (including evangelicals). The Democratic machine and mainstream media will continue to press Obama’s advantage by applying pressure on McCain to distance himself from evangelicals. But, if McCain wants to win in November, it’s time he personally evaluate the decisions of his staffers and begin to push back the left on the faith issue and spend a little time energizing the GOP’s best grassroots army.

In the end, the base does have a choice. On November 4, they can elect to stay home.