Not Packaged, Not Produced

Today’s back and forth is now about the age card — whether it is fair for Barack Obama and his campaign to call John McCain “confused” about national security, a word Republicans claim is meant to paint McCain as senile or — to put it more gently — out of it.

The general election is here, and we all know the big picture is the first thing to go. Now that Jim Johnson quit the VP search team, the Obama campaign is surely searching for a subject-changer and will find one or two, no doubt about it. The “confused” criticism made McCain a bit upset, and as I watched him respond on the stump yesterday I noticed how effective he is when he is feeling forceful. Mad isn’t good, but firm works for McCain. While his opponents will play up the temper issue, I don’t think McCain has to smile a lot to win this election.

In my column this week, I described what I think works best for McCain and what I think will doom him to defeat. The man cannot be packaged or produced. No matter how important stagecraft has become to this process, his campaign must resist it at all costs.

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WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF OBAMA’S FLIP ON THE JIM JOHNSON MATTER? Ask A.B. returns Monday, June 16 — Please join my weekly video Q & A by sending questions and comments to askab@digital-staging.thehill.com. Thank you.