mccain should chill

The WSJ have an excellent profile of newly promoted McCain campaign chief Steve Schmidt. Let me pick on one bit of it:

Mr. Schmidt specializes in the combat that dominates today's political culture -- the minute-by-minute, talking point-vs.-talking point battles that fill a 24-hour news cycle.

That may be the case, but I fear Schmidt and co. are so caught up in the daily message battle that they don't have a clear sense of perspective on what they should and shouldn't be saying. This kind of nonsense, for instance, just makes them come off as bitter and petty. As Daniel Finkelstein has argued, the McCain campaign needs to avoid sounding sour about Obama. They should practice brutal magnaminity: portray their opponent as a well-meaning guy who just isn't experienced enough to do the job (listen to Mitt!). Schmidt sounds like one half of the team McCain needs.