Looks Like the Mac Really Is Back

SALEM, N.H., Jan. 6, 2008— -- Here it was, the proverbial picture worth a thousand words: Sen. John McCain standing before an overflow crowd of several hundred in the Peterborough, N.H., Town Hall.

He had just finished his introductory remarks -- standard lines he's uttered hundreds of times, but this time with a verve and an energy that bespoke his rising political fortunes in this state and beyond.

A dozen television cameras rolled. A week ago, there would have been maybe two. The audience was applauding wildly and McCain, in his coat and tie and V-neck sweater, was just standing there basking in it. On his face was a happy smile.

He looked around. He gave a thumbs up to someone. To someone else, he offered a small wave of his hand.

These are suddenly very good times for John McCain.

A WMUR poll taken over the weekend put him six percentage points up on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. He is drawing large, enthusiastic crowds at almost every campaign stop.

And that was before the ABC News/Facebook debate where Romney appeared to be rattled by a barrage of attacks from McCain and his other opponents.

That was before the storyline of Sunday's coverage of the Republicans became Romney's denial in the debate that he was running television ads saying McCain favored "amnesty" for illegal immigrants when, in fact, he has two such ads.

McCain had been cautious about saying how he will do in the New Hampshire primary, but he has tossed more and more of that caution aside in recent days. Talking to reporters after the event in Peterborough, he allowed that "maybe we've caught some lightening in a bottle ... Maybe a sparkle."

By Sunday, he'd become even bolder.

"Frankly," he said in Salem, N.H., "we're winning this campaign."

That's probably because the McCain camp thinks he got the better of Romney in the debate Saturday.

For days, McCain aides had been viewing the debate as a chance to retaliate against Romney for the ads attacking McCain on immigration, an issue on which he is considered vulnerable. McCain had considered launching his own ads in response, but decided to hold fire.