Reports of the death of John McCain's bid to become the Republican presidential nominee were greatly exaggerated. But since winning the nomination after a remarkable political comeback, Sen. McCain has faltered with dismaying frequency by failing to exploit Barak Obama's many vulnerabilities and drive his campaign back to the radical left fringe where it originated.

In this respect, Sen. McCain is the Gen. McClellan of his own campaign. Although Gen. McClellan raised and trained a well-organized Union army early in the Civil War, he was chronically hesitant to attack aggressive Confederate troops even when holding a tactical advantage. Eventually, a frustrated President Lincoln replaced him with a succession of generals - until Gen. Grant at last was given command and led the Union to victory.

With only three weeks remaining until Election Day, Sen. McCain at last must stop impersonating Gen. McClellan and become the Gen. Grant of his campaign for president - pressing the case, together with Sarah Palin, his Gen. Sherman, against Sen. Obama as well as proclaiming their vision for America.

On Tuesday, Sen. McCain's tone was decidedly Grant-like, filled with energy, determination and optimism. Now he must carry this into Wednesday's debate and beyond - all the way to Nov. 4. No more downplaying the frustrations and concerns of his constitutents; no more pronouncements that Americans have nothing to fear from an Obama presidency; no more retreating from hard-hitting charges, grounded in facts, even when the most liberal member of the Senate lies about them as he cries foul.

Sen. Obama has given Sen. McCain a lot of ammunition with which to mount and sustain an unrelenting drive to the finish: efforts by ACORN - with which Sen. Obama long has been associated - to turn this election his way through voter registration fraud; his long-standing alliances with unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers, convicted felon Tony Rezko and the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright; efforts by his operatives to silence opponents; his domestic agenda that would cost $2.3 trillion in new spending; and his advocacy earlier this week of the fundamental Marxist principle of redistribution of wealth in Amerika.

Sen. McCain could gain added momentum on the economy by pledging now to appoint Rudy Giuliani as his attorney general, who would investigate and prosecute all those responsible for the crises in the housing market and on Wall Street - a move that would connect with the impacted middle class and strike fear in the hearts of Democrat partisans.

America as we know her, like she was during the Civil War, may be standing on the brink in this election. But if Sen. McCain truly becomes his own Gen. Grant and stays on the attack for the next three weeks, then, like Victor Lazlo declared at the end of "Casablanca," I will know that our side is going to win.

Ralph Nichols writes on public policy and legal issues from the Seattle area. He can be reached at ranichols2@yahoo.com.