Does McCain Need A Convention? Or Just a convention?

Well, obviously, he needs to be nominated, which requires a meeting of the Republican National Committee at a lower c-convention. That will happen Thursday.

If indications are correct, the Palin pick seems to have raised the enthusiasm level of Republicans significantly, although we're assuming this from the behavior of Republican activists.  It has forced the news media to reframe the race, it has forced Barack Obama out of the headlines, it has begun to redefine who McCain really is.

Does he even need a convention at this point? Sure, it would be nice -- four days to better introduce Palin and to savage Barack Obama, to help Americans get over the warmer feelings they have for the Democratic candidate.

But if you take as the goal of McCain's convention the need to re-energize the party's base, then no, McCain doesn't really need one. His pick did that. And with the Republicans intent on turning the convention period into a massive, nationwide call to action, he'll stay in the headlines, and the party's brand will won't be, at the very least, further tarnished.

It's perhaps impolitic to say this, but message-wise, McCain could do a lot worse than to cancel corporate fundraisers, parties and delegate-fests and urge the country to suspend politics and open their wallets for victims of Gustav.  And he has, thanks to President Bush, the entire federal government backing him up here.

McCain doesn't really need a Convention....