Above is the McCain campaign's new ad. Not that anyone asked my opinion, but I like it. Facing an unpleasant reality, there's no way a normal Republican would have had a chance in the 2008 general election. The Republican brand at this moment is badly damaged and in disrepute. It's something of a miracle that John McCain became the party's nominee. It's a happy miracle, since he's the only nominee who would have had a chance. The Mavericky heresies that McCain has indulged in over the past seven years are precisely what make him electable. And though the Maverick thing sounds a bit trite, the fact that he has so many admirers on the other side of the aisle effectively refutes the potentially lethal "McSame" attack line that depicts him as George W. Bush's political twin. McCain and his campaign have made some nice progress over the past week. Now they can really shake things up and get ANWR drilling right. Death to the Caribou!