The media lovefest with John McCain resumes with Stephanie Dinan of the Washington Times:

Sen. John McCain emerged from yesterday's elections as one of Republicans' only winners as Democrats made solid gains and both parties turn an eye toward 2008.

The Arizona Republican, who wasn't up for re-election, rallied to the side of Republican candidates at 131 events -- a strong showing that displayed his rising popularity. His strength was underscored Monday when Charlie Crist, Florida's new Republican governor, chose to skip a scheduled rally with President Bush for an event with Mr. McCain.

"There's going to be a batch of people who are going to personally owe McCain and there's going to be another batch of people who are going to have to rethink their view of him," said Michael McKenna, a Republican strategist and pollster.

"He was a pretty solid party stalwart this go around, in a cycle when it was not easy to be a party stalwart."

As both parties took stock of wins and losses last night, the soul-searching began for Republicans, while Democrats will now focus on capitalizing on their gains.

Foremost among those Democrats are rising star Sen. Barack Obama, the charismatic Illinois Democrat who recently said he no longer rules out running for president in 2008, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York Democrat who checked off an important box on her presidential to-do list by getting re-elected, amassing a substantial campaign fund and a solid springboard victory in the process.

Read the whole prose sonnet at the link above.

Sorry, but McCain is damaged goods by the midterm results. Perhaps he wasn't hurt as much as the President, but Bush, according to reliable sources, has decided not to run for a third term.

While Sen. McCain did do yeoman's work barnstorming the country for Republican candidates, his efforts are qualified by the fact that most of them lost anyway. Losing candidates have nothing with which to return the favor, and their organizations quickly dissipate after the loss.

McCain himself underscored his problem when he told Fox News on Election Night, "The perception is that we have become a part of the problem."

That's correct, Senator. Now, even if we can find a couple Democratic Senators to vote to confirm a judge, the rest of them can still block the nomination via filibuster, thanks to the Gang of 14. And your BCFRA, instead of "getting the big money out of politics," has attracted more than ever - except now much of it goes to "527" organizations, who don't have to meet the strict reporting requirements for candidates and parties which already existed before your "reforms." As a result, there is MORE money in politics, and we have no idea where most of it comes from until well after the campaign. That is NOT progress by any meaningful definition of the word.

McCain is indeed "a part of the problem." A big part. For 2008, though, we will be looking for solutions, instead.

Hat-tip to Ankle Biting Pundits for pointing to this story.