So this latest poll from ARG confirms what we've all been sensing for some time now, McCain is back! Was it his rendition of "Barbara Ann," which earned him the support of MoveOn.org. Was it the speech at VMI, which set tongues wagging? Or maybe it was just that McCain flourishes as an underdog. Whatever the case, McCain now has the lead in the three states that matter most: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

Interestingly, McCain gets the most separation from the field in South Carolina, where one might expect a less impressive showing given the shellacking he took from George Bush there in 2000, after beating the president-to-be by 19 points in New Hampshire. But he's led in that state consistently, and it's more a decline in support for Giuliani and the arrival of Fred Thompson that have improved his position.

The Politico's Jonathan Martin writes that McCain "has gained strength among independents and continues to do well among Republicans. While the coverage was often unfriendly, keep in mind that McCain has been the subject of story after story in the recent days when the survey was taken."

But this was always the beef conservatives had with McCain--the media liked him just a little too much. And if they like him, he can't be one of us. Well, now that he has a shot, the media's turned on him...and off he goes. Bomb, bomb, bomb...