A growing consensus: McCain is a coward

John McCain has been hiding behind his wife and his running mate Sarah Palin. McCain talks tough about Obama, unless Obama is around. Then, McCain wusses out.

There's a growing consensus: John McCain is really a coward.

This was a theme today on DailyKos and Talking Points Memo. Here's some of what Josh had to say:

McCain's moral cowardice has been one of the subtexts of this campaign ever since he wound up the nomination and turned his attention to Barack Obama. But I did not realize it would reveal itself in such a physical dimension.

The tell came this week as McCain unearthed the Ayers story which, for whatever its merits, was fully aired months ago and has no clear relation to the particulars of October other than McCain's collapsing poll numbers. He's on it. Palin's on it. He's releasing slashing new TV ads like this one. Both of them are ginning their crowds up into spiraling gyres of right-wing delirium -- a ready-made Lord of the Flies (and let's admit that's a gentle allusion, given the tone of these barnburners) if Obama happened into one of the auditoriums at the wrong moment.

He ever swaggered on for a couple days about how he was going to 'take the gloves off' when he met up with Obama in Nashville. But when the two of them were there in each others physical presence ... nothing. By a myriad of gestures and reactions Obama owned him....

And now Obama can lightly taunt McCain with that very cowardice, his inability to just say it to his face. And if my take on the inner workings of McCain's mind at the moment is right that should simply unhinge him even more.

And there's also John Cole, who has been saying it for days, starting with this classic line after the debate:

What a sad, pathetic, small man John McCain has turned into right before our very eyes.

More from John Cole here:

No one is debating that John McCain at one time exhibited great bravery in Vienam that I don’t think I would have possessed. How that changes what he has done the past few weeks, inciting his supporters to call Obama a terrorist while refusing to engage Obama directly on the matter, hiding behind surrogates and their sleazy innuendo, not mentioning the subject even though the gloves are “off” yet hoping upon hope that someone will ask him about it, is beyond me. It was one thing with Kerry- what McCain is doing now is dangerous, and he won’t even own it. Take that 2 minute commercial you released on the web, and pay for a national airing. If you want it out there, have it out there with your name on it and with your money backing it. Say something at the next debate. Own it. McCain is acting like a coward, and what he and his campaign are doing is a disgrace. Period.

And finally, both Obama and Biden are also now chiding McCain in public, noting how McCain talks tough when they're not in the room, but then in person he wimps out. Should be a fun next debate to see if McCain is all talk, or willing to own his words. Then again, he could just send his wife and daughter.