Obama-Clinton feud bad for Dems, good for McCain

Napoleon once said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

If that's true, John McCain should grab a bag of popcorn and watch the fireworks.

Last Tuesday the worst possible thing happened to the Democratic Party as Hillary Clinton won the large primary states of Texas and Ohio. Barack Obama, riding high on a string of 11 straight victories, could have effectively finished Clinton by taking either state. Instead, he failed to close the deal, ensuring he and Clinton will continue to vie for the nomination in the months to come.

Generally, I don't agree with finding pleasure in another's misfortunes, but in this case I will make an exception. John McCain has just officially locked up the Republican nomination, leaving him free to raise money, organize staff and hone his strategy for the general election. Clinton and Obama, each desperate to win, will likely engage in a total annihilation death-match until August. They are their own worst enemies now.

If McCain wants to win in November, he must do one of two things, depending on who survives the Democratic scorched-earth combat. If Obama is the nominee, McCain must knock him off his secular jesus pedestal and expose him as the ultra-liberal Chicago politician he truly is. If McCain faces Hillary, his task is decidedly easier. A lot of people dislike her, and it's easy to raise the unsettling prospect of Bill roaming the halls of the White House with nothing to do.

Either strategy is fraught with difficulties. If McCain brings Obama down to reality, he will be painted as the evil old grinch who muddied the country's knight in shining armor. Nobody likes to hear the truth about their fantasy heroes. If he goes after Hillary, he must face the fact that as a Clinton, she will do anything to gain power. Expect attacks on an inconceivable scale.

It's a good thing, then, that most of his work is being done for him. Clinton has already begun to cut Obama down to size. Her newest attack ad questioning his ability to handle a national security crisis may have made enough Texans think twice to push her over the top. In addition, Clinton's scolding of the media's easy treatment of Obama may have accomplished what was once thought impossible; she made him look human. At a recent press conference, reporters grilled Obama about his alleged sketchy real estate dealings with a corrupt Illinois businessman. After answering only a few questions, Obama became visibly uncomfortable and stalked away—like a normal politician.

On the other hand, there are rumors that Obama, stunned by his latest defeats, is about to turn Clinton into Darth Vader, a dark, power-hungry fearmonger commanding a ruthless attack fleet, manipulated behind the scenes by Emperor Bill.

This leaves McCain with an incredible opportunity. He needs only to watch the slug fest to see which attacks work, biding his time to unleash a carefully prepared broadside against whoever triumphs. It is entirely possible that the Democrats, who have every reason to expect a victory this November, will be defeated by their own folly. Napoleon knew about that, too.