ON TO NOVEMBER:

McCain Already Sounds Like GOP Nominee (LIZ SIDOTI, 2/05/08, AP)

To hear John McCain talk, you'd think he already was the Republican nominee. "The first thing we've got to do after Tuesday is unite this party," he says repeatedly these days — as if the 21 states holding caucuses and primaries this week are simply a formality.

He's eager to lead the GOP against Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, calling them liberals who would surrender in Iraq. It's a surefire way to rally Republicans and get skeptical conservatives on board with his candidacy.

There's a revealing political effect where once a party's nominee is determined, if a rival stays in the race, he may lose a late primary or two just as a function of buyer's remorse. Parties want perfect nominees and there never is one.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 4, 2008 8:17 AM