McCainiacs note that not all polling news for their guy is bad.
Gallup reports:
“And while McCain is not rated as favorably overall (47%), he has impressive cross-appeal because he is rated much more positively than negatively by independents, and only slightly more negatively than positively by Democrats.”
(You know what baffles me in the Gallup numbers? With McCain vs. Hillary or Obama, the Republican trails by two or three points, statistically insignificant leads. But against Edwards, he trails by six, and the Democrat hits 50 percent. By this standard, John Edwards is the most formidable Democratic candidate in the field.)
And the McCainiacs are happy that Harris Interactive shows McCain with a 42 percent net positive image ratio on national security. Only Rudy rated higher (45 percent) and the Democrats trail significantly (Clinton 34, Obama 34, Edwards 29).
Having said that, I look forward to McCain’s efforts to sharpen the distinctions with Mike Huckabee, who’s ahead of him in Iowa, according to Mason-Dixon.