Mistakes were Made...

I was suggesting just the other day that Colin Powell was the campaign's last "big" endorsement.

Oops!

Turns out there was at least one more lurking out there. In the sort of political theater that no one with a sense of decency could script, Al Qaeda has entered the fray on one of their regular sites. The post calls for three things: 1. a terrorist attack on the US before election day, 2. anything that continues the financial crisis, and, 3. the election of John McCain, whose foreign (read: war) policies will mirror W.'s and are therefore good for Al Qaeda recruitment and contribute to the squandering of American resources.

It's remarkable how informed one can remain in the mountains of central Asia.

This is just the latest in a surprising string of things going wrong for McCain, who seems to be losing the ability to read his own teleprompters. Palin has become a bigger drag on his ticket than the President. Plus the scandals already addressed by AARON: the 150k wardrobe, Obama's incredible financial advantage, and the increasing contraction of the McCain campaign to traditionally red states. It looks like McCain is increasingly running not to lose by an embarrassing margin.

**UPDATE**

McCain's response today, including pointing out that Hamas has made favorable comments about Obama, and proceeding to suggest that Al Qaeda statements made in support of Obama are part of an elaborate game of reverse psychology. The whole position is strained, to say the least. Read the story here.