Futility

With each passing day, it seems that John McCain's effort to become president of the United States is becoming more and more inept. There's no consistent message, there's no clear strategy, and it seeming more and more that there's no real desire to win. Via Kos, here's McCain's latest instance of shooting himself in the foot:

John McCain's election night watch party might be missing John McCain. Instead of appearing before a throng of supporters at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix on the evening of Nov. 4, the Republican presidential nominee plans to deliver postelection remarks to a small group of reporters and guests on the hotel's lawn.

Aides said Thursday that the arrangement was due to space limitations and that McCain might drop by the election watch party at some other point.

What? There's not room for McCain at his own party? My understanding of such things is that if there's room far anybody, there's room for McCain. I was never one to have a terribly high opinion of John McCain, but I did think better of him than that he'd just give up without even owning up to the fact. Kos argues that McCain owes it to the supporters who continue to work hard for him to at least make an effort, and he's right. But what I find even more surprising is that he's not only giving up on himself, but he's giving up on every other candidate sharing the Republican ticket with him. This will cause reverse coattails that will actively shrink the vote and harm Senate, House, and local campaigns.

I haven't given that much thought to the question, but I am starting to wonder about what McCain might be planning for the future. If he doesn't make it into the White House, he'll have two more years in his Senate term. Will he serve them out, or will he follow his the precedent he seems to be making here and bail? Will he disappear from public life? From the way things seem to be going, will he have a choice?