The McCain campaign always wanted to keep the race centered on foreign policy, and for good reason; Obama can't touch McCain on the issue. But as ever in politics, external events have militated to change the landscape dramatically. The race is now centered around the economy, and without putting too fine a point on it, that means McCain is in serious trouble.

Accordingly his campaign has taken the dramatic step of asking for the first debate, a debate on foreign policy (scheduled for tomorrow evening), to be postponed. On the one hand it's a bold move that feeds into a growing media narrative that says McCain and Obama should be in the Senate, helping to steer the country through choppy waters. On the other hand it's a blatant political play that couldn't be more transparent.

Regardless though McCain has turned a disadvantage into an advantage by forcing the Obama campaign to engage on McCain's terms. Like it or not, they have to address his call for the debate to be postponed.

McCain may be forced to play out the rest of this campaign with a poor hand of cards, but as we've learnt over the past year, that's no reason to count him out.