McCain still has time, but needs a message

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent - Analysis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With 25 days until the U.S. election, Republican John McCain still has time to revitalize his lagging presidential campaign. What he needs is a compelling message to help him do it. As the global economy teeters on the brink of collapse and the savings of millions of Americans vanish in an epic Wall Street meltdown, McCain has focused on attacks on Democratic rival Barack Obama's character and questions about his association with former 1960s radical William Ayers. So far, that does not appear to be the path to reversing McCain's steady slide in opinion polls ahead of the November 4 election to succeed Republican President George W. Bush, analysts said. "This is far from over. It could flip and flop again several times -- but not on the basis of... [read full story]