As evidence of Obama’s alleged sexism, the “lipstick on a pig” remark is a problematic issue for the McCain camp. It’s not much more than the old “making a purse from a sow’s ear” line. It’s not loaded and it’s not aimed with particular misogynist malice at Sarah Palin. As has already been discussed everywhere, McCain used the very same metaphor to trash Hillary Clinton’s health care plan in 2007. Moreover, pretending that this was some sort of gender-based attack on Sarah Palin opens the door to speculation about double standards and special consideration for a woman who herself clearly wants no part of PC gamesmanship.

But as evidence of Obama’s increasing tone-deafness, bad luck, and desperate hunger for valid anti-McCain talking points, Pig Gate is a turning point. One day after declaring his “Muslim faith,” Obama seems to compare the female GOP vice president nominee to a tarted-up pig. We all only have two feet to put in our mouths, and the Democratic nominee has swallowed up both of his in no time. He is obviously so rattled by the turnaround of McCain’s fortunes he can’t think straight. Speaking extemporaneously is suddenly a liability and in all likelihood, any concerted effort to speak carefully will suffer from the obvious effects of overcalculation.

In other words, Obama is turning into Hillary Clinton at her worst: a candidate with such a chronic inability to deliver a sincere message that radio-silence becomes the only option. The problem here is silence will will cost Obama too much. If he lays low while Palin soars, he’ll wake up every day between now and November reading about his own demise in real time. The Obama campaign was built for cruise control. As long as His hands were on the wheel, it was steady as she goes.

The thing is they’re still in cruise control, but coasting is now a luxury this lost candidate can’t afford.