MCCAIN AND THE GENERAL ELECTION

MCCAIN AND THE GENERAL ELECTION

At a lunch meeting with dozens of Washington reporters today, McCain manager Rick Davis said the campaign isn't looking ahead to the general election just yet. But that didn't stop the reporters from peppering him with questions about how the Arizona senator might match up against Obama and -- to a lesser extent -- Clinton, especially considering the excitement surrounding their candidacies.

Davis noted that the crowds Obama has attracted so far this primary season is a phenomenon he hasn't seen in all of his years in politics, and he argued that it's important for McCain to begin matching that level of enthusiasm. "We've got to get the Republican Party excited about this candidacy," he said. "We have to show them there is a chance to succeed."

Yet Davis also wasn't sure if the excitement surrounding Obama necessarily equals success in November. "How that translates into the general election, I don't know." Davis did tout public polls that have shown McCain -- even during his campaign's darkest days -- as being competitive with Obama and Clinton.

McCain does not seem to be really enthused or looking at his campaign in good light. Even if things were not looking good, why admit to it to the public?