This smile could turn into a frown real fast if he's not on his A-game in the General Election. When Sen. John McCain clinched the Republican Presidential nomination three months ago with little competition, it could end up being the worst thing to happen to his presidential hopes.
The popular political pundits (say that three times fast) haven't talked about it yet, but McCain could suffer from "ring rust" in the upcoming general election after having to wait so long for a Democratic opponent since clinching the nomination on March 4.
For those unfamiliar with the term, ring rust refers to the sloppiness a boxer displays during the early rounds of a fight after a long layoff.
McCain has had to watch Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton slug it out for the Democratic nomination for three months without the ability or reason to debate and campaign.
He may not be able to respond immediately when faced with a battle-tested
candidate coming off of the battle of his or her life.
To use another sports analogy, in the 2001 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers coasted through the playoffs with a record of 10-0 and had to wait for a Philadelphia team that battled through a 7-game-series with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The long layoff combined with a hungry Philadelphia team led to the Lakers losing game one of the series by a score of 107-101.
The Lakers went on to win the next four games of the series to win the championship, but for that one game, they were vulnerable.
If McCain doesn't come to play, he could find himself in a deep hole, fast.
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