McCain and Obama neck and neck...still?

McCain faces some hurdles at the Republican National Convention as it gets underway tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota. With Hurricane Gustav nearly overshadowing the coverage of the Convention, McCain is fighting to put on as good of a show as Obama did in Denver last week. In the midst of Gustav's wake, many voters have criticized McCain for his surprising vice presidential pick. The choice of Sarah Palin, an inexperienced, young Alaskan governor, made many voters, both democrat and republican alike, ask..."Who?" Things only got worse for the Republican presidential nominee with the media running wild in regards to Palin's pregnant teenage daughter. With much of the public gushing over Obama's inspirational acceptance speech in Bronco Stadium last Friday, it just seems that John McCain just can't catch a break these days.

But if all those hurdles weren't enough, McCain now faces his biggest challenge yet, rebounding from what many believe is the worst GOP approval rating since the years of Watergate or the Great Depression. According to a CNN survey, less than one in five registered voters approve of President Bush's current administration and that statistic may carry over into the polls come November 4. Along with McCain's questionable VP choice, Republicans appear to be much more indifferent about voting for McCain and seem to be voting strictly along party lines, unlike the hoards of overeager Obama supporters, vetting for the democratic front man. However, despite all of McCain's apparent obstacles, CNN reported Tuesday that Obama and McCain are nearly tied in most of the recent presidential polls. With Obama leading by a small margin of five percent, many are wondering if this statistic will sway in McCain's favor after the kick off of the Republican National Convention.

Republican strategists at CNN argue that in order for John McCain to nudge that small margin of five percent in his favor he needs to focus on the war and selling himself as the war hero he is. Similarly, with the low GOP approval rating, it is essential that McCain distance himself as much as possible from the Bush administration and take a firm stance on the issues that are important to voters: the war, the economy and the environment among so many others.

With nine weeks remaining until voters brace for the polls, things are coming down to the wire. Regardless of the outcome of this presidential race, it will be a historic one with Obama being elected into office as the first African American and McCain being elected with the first female running mate. Unlike Barack Obama's celebrity-style speech in Denver, McCain's will be more subdued and will most likely receive less media coverage given the devastating effects of Gustav. However, if he is able to accomplish a great deal during the next few days and give the public what they want to hear, this time next week the tables may be turned and the polls may be in his favor heading into the November election.