Ballot Box

A guide to the best political buzz from around the web

By XANA O'NEILL

Updated 12:54 PM EDT, Mon, Jul 13, 2009

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A new Gallup poll shows McCain gaining on Obama's lead but many political observers -- conservative and liberal alike -- remain uncertain whether it's not too late for the Republican candidate.Today's buzz:

The Washington Post wrote that it "without ambivalence" endorses Obama. The paper editorialized that McCain's disappointing campaign and his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate helped sway their opinion.Take-away: "Mr. Obama is a man of supple intelligence with nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building."
The San Francisco Chronicle also endorsed Obama, claiming that Obama's steadiness during the economic crisis and his selection of Joe Biden helped convince them that he should be president. Take-away: "His policies and persona have offered hope to a nation that is deeply polarized, swimming in debt, mired in war and ridden with anxiety."
David Brooks wrote in the NYT that Obama is adept at handling what life throws at him and has not once publicly displayed lack of self-control. Take-away: "Over the past two years, he has been the subject of nearly unparalleled public worship, but far from getting drunk on it, he has become less grandiloquent as the campaign has gone along."
McCain fell short in the final debate and is now left to try to garner vote by convincing Americans that just because things are bad doesn't mean they couldn't get worse -- particularly with a far reaching left-winger like Obama, wrote Mona Charen in the National Review online. Take-away: "McCain should argue that voters have a lot to lose if Obama is elected."
If Democrats win next month it could be the end of the Reagan era, wrote Ronald Brownstein in the National Journal. Take-away: "Many Democrats believe that a breakthrough next month, coming after a financial meltdown that has discredited unfettered markets, would represent the public's repudiation not just of Bush' performance but of Reagan's small-government ideas."
Not even McCain's best attempts to rattle Obama during the debate were good enough, wrote Dan Balz in the WaPo. Take-away: "McCain will have to continue to press his case relentlessly in the final days to change the shape of the campaign."