Or something to get the express back on track. It’s either gone off the rails lately, or just seems to have. And it not only has to carry him and his campaign, but his whole party. That’s almost too much for any vehicle right now.

What’s happening to the Republicans? Here’s the opening statement on a piece in The American Spectator:

No question, the GOP brand is mush. President Bush’s popularity is in the tank. House Republicans cannot let go of earmarks or the Farm Bill.

At Human Events, Bob Novak reports:

From the standpoint of morale, enthusiasm, and confidence, the presidential election can be called no contest–Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. John McCain. The Republican candidate has not used the long period since he clinched the nomination to establish an effective campaign strategy. The level of depression among Republicans outside the McCain inner circle is worsening as Obama inches his way rightward, toward the middle of the road (at least rhetorically).

And McCain was forced to rearrange his campaign apparatus.

The shift was approved by Mr. McCain after several of his aides, including [new campaign manager Steve] Schmidt, went to him about 10 days ago and warned him that he was in danger of losing the presidential election to Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, unless he revamped his campaign operation, two officials close to the campaign said.

It was because he lacked a message, claimed CNN.

His party, at its core, needs to rediscover itself. Kim Strassel had a good piece on this in the WSJ the other day.

Outwardly, the House GOP is gearing up to take on Democrats this fall. Inwardly, it’s in disarray, engaged in a fight over the soul of the party. The reformers demand the leadership aggressively define itself on health care, earmarks and spending; the fat and happy push back, insisting their pork and their farm bills are necessary for re-election.

In the middle, she points out astutely, is Minority Leader John Boehner, who has to decide how to make leaders of them all. Difficult job anytime in Washington. Particularly tough right now.

The GOP has been quarrelling over its image ever since its 2006 electoral banishment. But the fight got nastier after the party lost two special congressional elections in May. The Republican Study Committee’s 105 conservatives have been aggressively challenging the leadership’s agenda (which it views as too fuzzy) and its refusal to rein in pork. The appropriator kings have banded together to block reform, and have so far been winning the battle.

That’s bad for a party that needs reform. The Republican leader’s heart is with the reformers, Strassel says, but his heart leads him to “keep the peace”.

The minority leader likes consensus, and goes where the majority of the party wants. Yet parties, by definition, become minorities because the bulk of the members go wrong. They need their leaders to look ahead, aggressively redefine the message, inspire and, if need be, wrangle members into place.

While McCain re-tools, his party needs an overhaul.