He shouldn't underestimated, but he's well past his prime, and I mean that philosophically, not physically.

He's a flip-flopper in the truest sense of the term: his philosophical framework has shifted, to the right in every case, since 2000.

This can only lead to waffling.

Moreover, McCain's fate is tied to Iraq, and as Patreaus has said, there's no light at the end of that tunnel.