John McCain's fundraising numbers should send shivers down the spines of his supporters.
It wasn't that long ago that John McCain was locking up all the big Bush donors -- and senior Bush staffers. I went so far as to equate his team to the New York Yankees. His early start made many pundits wonder if anybody could catch him.
But McCain's disappointing (his campaigns' sentiment, not mine) fundraising numbers remind me of a baseball series in which one team (with all the big stars) gets off a seemingly insurmountable lead, only to be caught from behind (think Yankees vs. Red Sox, 1994 -- or even worse, Mets vs. Orioles, 1969).
I still think it's too early to count anybody out, but let's just say the team with all the big-name stars is trailing. The game is still early, but it's not an enviable position to be in, either.
These numbers also make me a bit suspicious about something ...
After largely ignoring conservatives for months, John McCain made a concerted effort to reach out to conservative bloggers and radio talk show hosts last week. It worked; he had a very good week. But while this was a welcomed and encouraged change of course, McCain's fundraising numbers make me wonder if he would have bothered to court conservative opinion leaders with such gusto, were he still in the lead.
As the old Mickey Gilley song went: "Don't the girls all get prettier at closing time."
So do the bloggers.