Following last week's stunning announcement that Mr. Maverick was movin' onto another state, Michigan republicans have been scrambling to put Humpty Dumpty back together again i.e. a campaign effort in Michigan that does not include John McCain, but maybe Sarah Palin.

      Caught with their political pants down, Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson and state GOP Chair Saul Anuzis tried to put the best face possible on this mess by assembling stalwart republicans to show the world they are not giving up on Michigan even thought it sure looks like J.M. is.

      Patterson told the Oakland Press the decision was, "impetuous, shortsighted, and selfish."

      Anuzis chimed in that this will be like fighting a war without air support.

      Over the weekend the national McCain folks did announce that two, count9 9em, two staffers will remain in the Great Lakes State to work with volunteers.  Big deal, and they reconfirmed that all the TV and radio ads are caput sending shock waves throughout the executive suites at stations all over the state.  There goes those holiday bonuses for the suits.

      While it is not panic time in the GOP ranks, a sense of reality is settling in.  Even Karl Rove could not deny the obvious saying over the weekend that if the balloting was held today, his guy would not win. But he quickly added for the FOX news hounds that the contest is "susceptible to rapid change."

      And for McCain that change could come as early as  TV debate number two.  Don't be surprised if the guy who lost the Miss Congeniality award in the U.S. Senate, shows the rest of the nation how he did it.

      McCain may reinvent his "Drill, Baby, Drill" line and make it "Drill, Obama, Drill."< /o:p>

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