Bye, John

This is what the beginning of the end looks like:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will launch a high-profile effort next week to convince Americans that the Iraq war is winnable, embracing the unpopular conflict with renewed vigor as he attempts to reignite his stalling bid for the presidency.

With the Virginia Military Institute as a backdrop, McCain plans to argue in a speech on Wednesday that victory in Iraq is essential to American security and that President Bush's war machine is finally getting on track after four years, aides and advisers said.

Of course, McCain hasn't been criticizing the conduct of the war for most of the last four years, but that's old news. Now, he's not only committed himself to a "victory" that can never happen, he's committed himself to Bush's unpopular and sinking fast "stay the course with slightly more troops" plan. McCain's painted himself into this corner on Iraq, and there's no way out now.

A year ago, I wouldn't have bet against John McCain being the next President. Today, I think he'll be lucky to make it to New Hampshire.