It's the McCain, Stupid

The best news to come out of Philadelphia - or rather Indiana - is that Obama appears to have finally started campaigning against McCain.

In New Albany, Indiana, (just across the river from Louisville) today, Obama made clear that he's moved on to the general election.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told a cheering crowd at Indiana University Southeast today that the Democratic Party will be unified – whichever candidate is ultimately successful – in its effort to defeat the Republican presumptive nominee, Sen. John McCain.

“The Democratic Party is going to recognize as soon as we have a nominee that there is too much at stake for us to be divided,” Obama told about 2,500 people in the gym in the school’s Activities Building.

Today, Obama said in a press conference after the IUS town hall meeting that he’s confident he’ll be the nominee. But regardless, he said Democrats will not remain divided when they consider the alternative is McCain.

“They’ll say to themselves: This is a clear choice,” he said.

Obama told the boisterous crowd that voters already know what Republicans have to offer.

“They’re basically offering more of the same,” he said.

This is brilliant, in several different ways. It drives home the point that Hillary has lost. Even if Hillary wins every single primary from now on by 20 points (vanishingly unlikely), she still can't win the nomination. Obama is the nominee. McCain is his opponent. Hillary is irrelevant.

It changes the media narrative from Obama vs. Hillary to Obama vs. McCain.

It starts the General Election Campaign in plenty of time to ensure everyone knows all of McCain's flaws and failures before November.

As an unnecessary but pleasant side benefit, assuming the mantle of the Democratic nominee and campaigning against McCain might gain Obama more votes in states like Kentucky than campaigning against Hillary.

And I, personally, am looking forward to the sight of Hillary in the background, red-faced and screaming for attention while the adults conduct a presidential campaign.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.