John McCain Recieves Key Endorsements

McCain campaign due for a boost, but is it too late?

Joe Lieberman has decided who he thinks should be President of the United States.

And it isn't a Democrat.

In a surprise move, Lieberman has endorsed Republican candidate John McCain as the man to reunite the United States. "Being a Republican is important. Being a Democrat is important. But you know what's more important than that? The interest and well-being of the United States of America," Lieberman announced. "Let's put the United States first again, and John McCain is the man as president who will help us do that."

On the endorsement front, today was a very good day for McCain. the Des Moines Register and Boston Globe have chosen McCain as the Republican best qualified to become Commander-in-Chief.

"Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public," the Register's Editorial Board wrote. "The force of John McCain's moral authority could go a long way toward restoring Americans' trust in government and inspiring new generations to believe in the goodness and greatness of America."

"As a lawmaker and as a candidate, he has done more than his share to transcend partisanship and promote an honest discussion of the problems facing the United States," the board continued.

Despite previously-sagging polling numbers, these key endorsements are only the tip of the iceberg of McCain's turning fortunes. In a poll recently published in USA Today, McCain's favourable/unfavourable rating registered at 50% favourable/30% favourable. The nearest competing Republican, former New York city mayor Rudi Giuliani, registered numbers of 50% favourable/41% unfavourable.

Fabourable/unfavourable ratings actually being the most reliable polling data, this is very good news for McCain. Now lagging only 3 points behind front-runners Guiliani and the Chuck-Norris-fuelled Mike Huckabee, McCain is clearly set for a late-campaign surge.

However, it's possible that it may be too late for McCain. As with his past presidential campaign, McCain has been having trouble raising funds. He may find himself in a situation similar to that he found himself in in 2004, where he needed to win four of the first five primaries simply to stay competitive.

Unless this late surge in polling numbers is accompanied by a similar surge in his fundraising numbers, McCain simply may not be able to make up lost ground in this contest. Even then, defeating either Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama may turn out to be the penultimate uphill battle.

McCain has his work cut out for him. Unfortunately, his future may not be entirely in his own hands. American voters planning to donate funds to a presidential campaign will have to render judgement on him, too.

With Americans ready to embrace the kind of change McCain offers, that judgement may yet turn out to be favourable, but only time will tell.