McCain's Brand

We've heard incessant yammering lately about Bill Clinton's "brand" being tarnished, and Barack Obama's "brand" being compromised.

It's about time to start thinking of John McCain's "brand." What is it? I'll be fair and state what it really is: Straight talk and being a maverick.

Now, straight talk means you're speaking the truth as you see it consistently, whether it's welcome or not. And being a maverick has an element of truth-telling as well, because it means you're standing up for the truth as you see it, regardless of what others of your group may think.

This is a brand worth having. And it's a brand worth protecting.

But if he says one thing one day and another thing the next day, the brand will suffer. All it takes is something simple. Something as simple as this: 1) Obama should go to Iraq; 2) Obama shouldn't go to Iraq. That's simple enough for even the media to see as a contradiction. It's not straight talk. It's being two-faced, without integrity.

Of course I hope McCain steps in it bad, but for his own sake he'd better be careful.