Did Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Deliver Fatal Blow to McCain's Campaign?

Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, unequivocally interjected himself into the 2008 U.S. Presidential debate... causing a political upheaval of tsunami proportions to the teetering McCain campaign. In an obvious disagreement with the Republican presidential candidate's Iraq policy, Prime Minister Maliki has not only discounted the Arizona Senator's main talking point–– the "surge" is making Iraq more secure–– but, by all intense and purposes, publicly backed Senator Obama's Iraq troop withdrawal plan.

According to Maliki:

“Obama is right when he talks about 16 months. Assuming that positive developments continue, this is about the same time period that corresponds to our wishes.”

This game-changing statement officially neuters any further conversation from McCain regarding Obama's naïveté... and squelches any future challenges to the Democratic nominees' judgment relative to the war in Iraq. The number one problem for McCain lies in the fact that his entire presidential bid for the most part, has been built upon his being the person America can most trust to execute the Iraq war sensibly as its Commander-in-Chief. However, Maliki's recent comment has literally yanked the "war authority" rug right from under him... and gives credence to Obama's 'wisdom and judgment' argument.

That back-hand slap to McCain via Maliki was especially embarrassing as the White House mistakenly distributed these comments across the width of the media, and knowing all eyes across the globe are fixed on Obama as he makes his McCain-prodded-Mideast-and-European world tour! Can you say 'Check Mate'?

In addition to these combined missteps, the McCain's camp's biggest error in this Maliki/Obama-drama was how slow they were to respond to the Maliki statement. By the time McCain finally got around to issuing a statement to bat-down or counter what amounts to Maliki's quasi-endorsement of Obama as President of the United States, it was already too late as the delay gave bloggers a several hour 'spin advantage'. Just enough time to hail Senator Obama as the "man-with-the-plan-that-world-understands"... and McCain as "a man without plan, much less a clue".

Being slow-on-the-draw... as Senator McCain was in this instance, was a "colossal" mistake... particularly in a 24-hour news, 'You-tube', 'blog post', instant text messaging society. The irreparable damage to his campaign can be witnessed by surfing the weekend postings in bloggersville.

Indeed, the statement by Maliki, which is being echoed around the world... coupled with the lethargic, delayed response by McCain, who by his own admission is not computer literate or internet savvy, may just be (when we look back) that defining moment in history, which was the fatal blow which sidelined his presidential bid.

We welcome your comments.