Guilt By Association

Giuliani, Lieberman and Ridge have one thing in common: they're all disliked/distrusted by social conservatives. Given McCain's enthusiasm gap, is spending so much time with these guys a good idea?

-- First, is it fair to blame the GOP fervor gap on McCain? GOP pessimism has as much to do w/an unpopular president and frustration with the party as it does w/McCain's tendency to draw outside partisan lines.

-- The latest NBC/WSJ poll confirms what we've seen in other nat'l surveys: McCain's problem isn't getting his base on board, it's that voters can't distinguish him from Bush. Does surrounding himself w/other "mavericks" help? Or would a Lieberman or Ridge pick simply force McCain to spend more time reassuring conservatives than reaching out to indies?

-- Meanwhile, there signs that Dems will finally find Unity in CO. HRC's got a plan to release her delegates and has a team in place to contain anti-Obama outbursts on the floor. Still ex-HRC voters are going to need more than just a pretty picture from Denver. They also need Obama to connect with them. Can his new "middle class" focus (and McCain's multi-home snafu) get him there?