Is palpable, yet admirably restrained.

Trump’s foray into New Hampshire yesterday was all glitz, swagger and camera flashes. It reminded us of another candidate who thought he could win New Hampshire by using it as a backdrop for a slick mass media campaign. He drew huge crowds of gawkers and journalists, and everyone thought he would win. But Barack Obama lost the primary by 3 percentage points to Hillary Clinton, who, like McCain, spent her time meeting with voters, not talking at them through TV cameras.
At his press conference in Portsmouth yesterday, Trump kept mentioning his poll numbers. He thinks the primary is a popularity contest he can win by acclamation. Four years ago, Obama thought the same thing. So did Fred Thompson. Trump is as wrong now as they were then. If he decides to run, he’s going to learn that lesson sooner or later. If he’s as smart as he thinks he is, it’ll be sooner.

That said, and in fairness to Obama and Thompson, I’m pretty sure they were a good deal more retail than Trump.