You too could be a consultant for the GOP

Commenter Julio writes:

But this is further evidence of the ineptitude of the McCain campaign. Hell, the fact that he's talking to an Iowa newspaper in the first place shows that no one knows what they doing over in McCainland. I mean, I don't care if Bush won it last time, Iowa is not a swing state fool! Obama has something like a ten point lead last time I checked. McCain's never held a lead there. A possible newspaper endorsement ain't about to change that. There was no upside to this interview. Only the big downside of clips like this popping up on the internets.

Old school McCain strategist Mike Murphy writes:

One very smart consultant who knows McCain well sent me a link this morning to the video of McCain at Des Moines Register Editorial board interview. Set aside whatever you think of McCain's interview; this operative's point was purely technical and dead on correct: What the Hell was McCain even doing there in the first place?

1.) Obama is going to win Iowa.

2.) Editorial board meetings are usually pure trouble to begin with and result only in newspaper endorsements that persuade very few voters beyond the immediate family members of the editorial board.

3.) Within the rarified category of newspaper editorial boards, the Des Moines Register is one of the most liberal in the country. I'm rather surprised that halfway through the McCain interview they failed to switch over to Esperanto, the peace-loving language of all nations.

So, 35 days left and McCain is in Iowa? Why put McCain in the wrong state, at the wrong place? No surprise the result is the wrong message and the wrong tone.

Gonna give Julio props and assume he didn't read Murphy before commenting. Either way, it's a good point.