JIM WOOTEN: Panic sets in for Obama, Democrats. “Barack Obama knows it. The election he had in the bag is slipping away.” He could still win it, but the fact that he’s acting panicky, with wild swings, isn’t helping him. Plus, it suggests that he can’t handle pressure, which has been a rap on him from the beginning.

Those molestation claims from Randi Rhodes aren’t helping, either. Jeez. Plus this report: “Barack Obama and his senior advisers are under fire for ignoring the advice of Democratic senators and governors who are concerned that they do not know how to beat John McCain. . . . A senior Democratic strategist, who has played a prominent role in two presidential campaigns, told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘These guys are on the verge of blowing the greatest gimme in the history of American politics. They’re the most arrogant bunch Ive ever seen. They won’t accept that they are losing and they won’t listen.'” Yes, as I said earlier, hubris coupled with poor execution is not a recipe for success. Nice to see that the Democratic leadership agrees with my analysis.

UPDATE: Barry Dauphin thinks it’s psychological: “One thing I have noticed. No matter who McCain is up against (be it Republicans or Democrats), he has an uncanny ability to get under the skin of his opponents. Most of his opponents become virtually apoplectic at some point. They make mistakes. And he simply smiles.”