One house, 7 houses, it is all the same

John McCain on that difficult business of remembering how many properties he owns:

"I think ... I'll have my staff get to you"

Fair enough. I mean, it is a tough question and we all struggle to answer it from time to time. Think about it; how many properties do you own?

Oh… so you do know. Hang on, yes, it is easy to remember. Unless you are fabulously wealthy and own multiple properties.

Seriously, this could be really damaging for McCain. He has painted himself as the down to earth candidate – one of the people – unlike that elitist Obama. His general attitude and demeanour have helped him to build up a lot in common with the electorate. What will lose him that support from the man on the street is the revelation that McCain doesn’t know how many houses he owns. This revelation is even more damaging when you consider that, at the moment, people are struggling to keep their own single homes. Yes, McCain has a right to own as many homes as he likes and spend his fortune in any way he likes. But to not even know how many homes he has. That reeks of political incompetence and arrogance that undermines his claim to be a man of the people.

But, as it stands, this only *could* be damaging for McCain. Politicians have screwed up before in their quests for the White House and their campaigns have survived. Whether or not this really screws McCain up is down to the response of the Obama campaign. Early indications show that Obama is prepared to use it – but whether it becomes a millstone around McCain’s wrinkled neck comes down to whether Obama truly has a killer instinct