In what appears to be a major shift in strategy, the McCain campaign has canceled a scheduled trip to Michigan and plans to pull all television ads from the said state. According to the RealClearPolitics poll, Obama leads McCain in Michigan by an even 7 point margin (to place this in perspective, the gap was only 2 points less than a month ago). Mark Halperin, over at The Page, suggests that McCain’s only other option is to win Pennsylvania. The problem is, Obama leads McCain by an even greater margin in Pennsylvania–7.9 percent, currently. Moreover, less than a month ago, McCain was down only 1.3 percent (a deficit clearly within the margin of error).

These statistics do not bode well for McCain. But he’s got an option. Remember that former governor of Massachusetts–also, the son of a former governor of Michigan–who is a surrogate for the McCain campaign? Oh, and the same man won the Michigan republican primary by 9.2 percentage point just a few months ago? Send him to Michigan and leave him there. It’s not a sure bet, but it’s probably the best way to utilize what is now an underused asset.