Rudy played off Hillary and for awhile held the role as the candidate most adept at taunting her. Her slide has deprived him of a helpful foil. Maybe something else is at work also. I wonder if the same factors aiding Obama’s rise are also aiding McCain. McCain is making one argument explicitly– that only he is competitive with Obama for key Independent voters. But perhaps GOP voters are more willing to have a nominee who has worked with Democrats, sometimes to the annoyance of the base, and someone who offers less strife and gridlock. Maybe bipartisanship is in.
