Is it possible that Obama's recent spate of flip flops has so damaged his reputation as a man of principle that the voters now see him as something less than a savior of America?

If this New York Times poll is to be believed, that is exactly the case. By a 51-43 margin, voters now believe Obama says what people want to hear rather than what he thinks. Another question, asking whether Obama's positions have changed since he wrapped up the nomination show a 53-32 agreement. The wool has been pulled from people's eyes and Obama is now seen as, if not just another politician, certainly in somewhat more human terms.

Jonah Goldberg calls this "Damage to the Brand." Indeed, one Democrat he talked to said"If McCain can turn him into a politician, Obama has lost his advantage."  Losing that advantage would mean less money in fundraising as well as less enthusiasm.

Goldberg points to the FISA fiasco where Obama promised to filibuster telecom immunity and then did a 180 degree about face and refused. This angered the far left netroots who are convinced the NSA has a mike hidden under their bed and want to soak the huge telecoms for the trial lawyers. Goldberg mentions there is a real possibility that a lot of those smaller donations may dry up as a result of Obama's inconstancy on the FISA issue.

In fact, here we are in the middle of July and Obama has yet to release his FEC fundraising numbers from June. In the past when he was setting records, the campaign released them the moment they became official. But the fact that he has kept them quiet means they are waiting for a time when other news will overwhelm their release - probably because they are way down.

If those polls are even close to being right, McCain's chances just got a little better.