Dear John (McCain, that is)

The people now vote American style, with their dollars, and the winner, as of July 2007, fifteen or so months before the general election, is a man from the Land of Lincoln, a Mr. Barack Obama. That's how it is. From Straight Talk to Money Talks. From '99 Front Runner to Back of the Bus. Like I say, this is voting American style.

Obama has raised three times what you have, Mr. McCain, and that seems to be enough to afford the paint to put some big writing on the wall. In free fall, sir straight arrow, sir straight and narrow, you may return to your feisty tactics of 1999 and 2000, with a bit more grit and bile and laughs, too, if you can loosen what has got you so bound up, but eight years makes a difference. And an incumbent and a war gone wrong make a difference. As it turns out, a big difference.

Time is marching on (we would hope) without the old guard who got us into this mess. Tens of millions of us would like to march straight away from that old guard. And so we will. Meanwhile, many millions will let their dollars do their talking for them, long before a single hand is raised at a caucus, long before a single box is checked on a single ballot.

Welcome to the new epic mega-high dollar campaigns of the future, where both progressivism and year-out CASH count for more than they used to -- and a whole lot sooner than they used to.

We may lose a United States Senator to the White House in early 2009. The money, Mr. McCain, says you'll keep your seat.