McCain and his supporters are afraid of attacking Obama as long as Hillary remains in the game.
Here is why:
- McCain and his supporters believe they have a better chance against Obama than Hillary.
- If they attack Obama too hard prior to convention they will reduce his poll rating significantly. It is still possible for the SuperDelegates to vote for Hillary, as long as she does not concede. It is this threat of the Supers voting for Hillary which will force McCain and his supporters to reduce their attacks on Obama.
- They will only start fiercely attacking Obama after August 28th (the day the convention ends, and Obama is the guaranteed Democratic Nominee), which gives them only 78 days to attack and damage him. Otherwise, if Hillary concedes now, they have 171 days to fiercely attack and damage him.
- Obama can relentless attack McCain starting now as McCain is guaranteed to be the Republican nominee. McCain cannot retaliate.
This is a strategic advantage. It buys Obama 93 days of protection.
This leads me to ask, What really happened in that closed door meeting between Hillary and Obama? Was there a Secret Deal?