McCain, on meet the press, was pushing all the right buttons, Obama is socialism, Obama is inexperience, Obama is too liberal and not mavericky enough, and as before, its just does not resonate, partly because McSame has little appeal, but mostly because of the record of GWB. A GWB record endorsed by ALL of the GOP.
The republican problem right now, and something they are still in denial about, is that GWB has tainted the word GOP, certainly for the immediate future, and maybe for a generation. As it is, it did not matter who the GOP ran in 2008, the GOP label is now fatal toxic waste. IF you republirats want to find where you went wrong, look back to the elections of 11/2004 and 11/2006. Immediately after the election of 2004, it was clear the American people had zero trust in GWB, by 2006, it was an overwhelming American rebuke, yet ALL republicans didn't see this coming, and you rallied ever closer to GWB. You missed the message the American people gave you about GWB, and if you snooze, you lose.
As for McCain's political future, this is only partly a Waterloo, its more like Custer's last stand. At least Napoleon stood a chance at Waterloo, some better timing on the part of his fellow generals, and some bad timing on the part of the opposition, and Napoleon might have won, but Custer lost by pissing off too many Indians while dividing his forces. And now all the GOP is too busy avoiding their own doom to rally around McCain. What a sad and sorry mess the GOP has become.