Troops Supporting McCain Over Obama

68% to 23% in a Military Times poll.

More Palin 2.0 Cries

Monica Langley of the WSJ continues the day’s approved punditry:

More broadly, the McCain campaign aims to halt what it sees as a perceived decline in the crispness and precision of Gov. Palin’s latest remarks as well as a fall in recent polls, according to several advisers and party officials.

McCain officials denied any problems inside the campaign. “The nature of political campaigns, with all their ups and downs, is for insiders and outsiders and no-siders to register complaints, often anonymously,” said Tucker Eskew, a counselor for Gov. Palin. “We all in this campaign understand that, and we’re not distracted by it, even as we welcome well-intentioned and good advice.”

Some prominent Republicans and senior members of Congress have expressed worries about certain facets of the Palin campaign, particularly that Gov. Palin may be “overprepared” and not encouraged to be herself, an adviser said.

“She hasn’t had the time or inclination to question the judgments of the people telling her to hit her marks,” said one Republican strategist. “Gov. Palin is a team player, but the campaign needs to adjust to a game plan that works for her.”

For his part, Mr. Palin has worried about the frequent separation of his wife from her family, friends and Alaska staff, an adviser said. Accordingly, her family will be with her in Sedona during this week. Also, a key Alaska staffer joined the Palin operation Sunday.

Meanwhile, the more experienced advisers assigned to her by the McCain campaign are accustomed to working with seasoned candidates, not someone “completely green on the national stage,” one strategist said. Several Republican backers have griped that the campaign has put the candidate in difficult situations, from sitting for high-profile television interviews to popping into meetings with foreign leaders, some of whom made sexist remarks, said several officials.

“It’s time to let Palin be Palin — and let it all hang out,” said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist

I am not going to join the chorus of Conservatives calling the Palin pick a failure. Yes, she had a miserable interview with Katie Couric that was also obviously edited with a critical eye. 36 days in a media that changes the story every five minutes is a lifetime. We haven’t even hit October yet. Gallup’s 8 point deficit is disheartening andwe all know that the Battleground 2 point lead is an outlier. Palin is not a lost cause. Sit back and remember the day after the speech at Barackropolis and the energy thatyou felt when Ms. Wasilla came up to the podium and how awesome her speech was the following Wednesday.

Gallup: Down By 8

blurgh

Battleground: McCain up by 2

Here