McCain: The Tao of Steve

"McCain supporters attribute the campaign's summertime transformation - which has been accompanied by small but steady gains in polls - to a more direct and disciplined operation, thanks in part to the newly promoted Steve Schmidt, an unapologetically ruthless veteran of the 2004 Bush campaign," the Boston Globe writes. "Since then, however, new focus is evident in a campaign that previously reflected McCain's instinct for improvisation. Public appearances been more ambitiously conceived and staged....( read more ) (link)