This story from Rueters is an infuriating expose' into media bias, when you read the entire article you will see how they tried minimize the impact of the news.

I re-read it a couple of times. You can see it here as well.

As someone at ground zero of the CA-04 race (which is starting to really triend Republican now), I have seen how the drilling issue is driving the Democrats into therapy.

They have been wedged between the Enviros and America now and they have chosen to follow their money. No suprise there, but listen to the whining about the Republicans "politicizing" the Oil issue is amazing. No one cared that no oil refineries had not been built since 1976 (and many had been shut down) until the problem got really bad.

This is the apathy and ignorance that the Democrats have relied on for years - and Bush's new tone seemed to play into that. The difference, McCain's straight-talk seems to include nailing Obambi right between the eyes.

The media knows it - take a look at the following excerpts:

"That margin reversed Obama's 4-point edge last month on the economy over McCain, an Arizona senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war who has admitted a lack of economic expertise and shows far greater interest in foreign and military policy." - this choice of words in the story looks like a blatant attempt to air a perceived weakness of McCain in what should be a recitation of polling data.

Then, in the middle of the story - the real problem for Obama comes out now:

Obama had opposed new offshore drilling, but said recently he would support a limited expansion as part of a comprehensive energy program.

That was one of several recent policy shifts for Obama, as he positions himself for the general election battle. But Zogby said the changes could be taking a toll on Obama's support, particularly among Democrats and self-described liberals.

"That hairline difference between nuance and what appears to be flip-flopping is hurting him with liberal voters," Zogby said.

Obama's support among Democrats fell 9 percentage points this month to 74 percent, while McCain has the backing of 81 percent of Republicans. Support for Obama, an Illinois senator, fell 12 percentage points among liberals, with 10 percent of liberals still undecided compared to 9 percent of conservatives.

This dovetails with what I have seen in CA-04 - the Sierra Club has sent out several emails designed to keep the enviros from freaking out over the Drilling issue.

And Finally -

Obama's support among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, which had been one of his strengths, slipped 12 percentage points to 52 percent. McCain, who will turn 72 next week, was winning 40 percent of younger voters.

I think this is the most significant item of all - maybe those kids out there like the idea of a Grandfatherly figure with a steady hand and a lot of experience at the helm. McCain should pick a running mate 30 years his junior with a proven track record of success and keep lighting Obama on fire over substantive issues. Obama can't finish a sentence without a teleprompter.