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Lulling McCain?

• Justin Webb
• 28 Apr 08, 10:58 PM GMT

Is Hillary really pulling ahead? will help. The real story here is the Clinton surge among independents.

I wonder whether the real conspiracy is this: that the Democrats are deliberately lulling John McCain into a false sense of security, a kind of elderly man's post-prandial nap, all the better to dispose of him in November. Not having to fight now is not necessarily a good thing for McCain after all - it could mean he goes through the summer without having really sorted out an effective policy line.

If independents win elections, which generally they do, the "will his supporters back her, or will hers back him" stuff among the Democrats will seem awfully last year.

And independent voters might well and not like what they see, allowing even a damaged Democrat to limp home.

Meanwhile, there are new lines in the Obama stump speech!

He is sounding more John Edwardsy. More like a fighter. More "feel your pain." Obama version 2.0?

Some of his quotes today at a town hall meeting in Wilmington, North Carolina include:

"I didn't get in this race, to run against Senator Clinton. I ran to run against unemployment. I ran to run against lack of educational opportunity. I ran to run against lack of health care, and substandard housing and a war that we should not have been fought. That's why I'm running," Obama said and then repeated again, "I'm not running against Sen. Clinton."

Plus:

"This election is not about me. It's not about Senator Clinton. It's not about John McCain. It's about you. It's about your struggles, your hopes, your dreams."