Here's one issue that will sink McCain's prospects in Washington state and should put at least Missouri in play: his tireless work on behalf of Airbus in the European aerospace giant's bid for a $35 billion dollar defense contract for aerial refueling tankers. Airbus won the contract from Boeing, in large part because of subsidies from the French and German governments, costing jobs in Washington, Missouri, and Kansas, and sending most of them overseas.

The most galling thing about this is that several of McCain's top aides were paid lobbyists on the deal for Airbus. This is a perfect example of why the Democratic Party has such a big political advantage over the Republican Party in 2008: when they attack candidates who stand by Barack Obama, they use flimsy guilt-by-association attacks that don't even work in conservative districts in Mississippi. When we attack candidates who stand by John McCain, it's on real issues that have real impacts in people's lives.

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