Washington -- For many, this is a season for believing in miracles. Why should politicians be different?
Joe Biden, Bill Richardson and Fred Thompson, underdogs all, are wishing they'll somehow end up leading their party's ticket. Visions are dancing in Ron Paul's head: his name on the November ballot (most likely as an independent or Libertarian).
Then there's John McCain.
This strangest of Christmas weeks - when presidential candidates are asking last-minute shoppers for last-minute support - has bestowed an embarrassment of riches on the Arizona senator.
The upshot: his chances of winning the Republican nomination, which once seemed all but gone, are glowing brighter at exactly the right time.
The Union Leader in Manchester, N.H., an influential conservative voice, gave McCain its endorsement, which could reassure Republicans who still wonder if he's truly one of their own. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, delivered his support, bolstering McCain's image for bipartisanship.
His rivals in the Republican presidential contest have been unusually generous. Take Mike Huckabee. The fast-rising Republican contender starts to gush when he talks about McCain.
"I think he's one of the most honorable individuals in this nation. I personally like him. I also professionally respect him," Huckabee said on CNN last weekend. "You won't ever hear me saying something unkind or untoward toward this person who I believe to be a great American hero."
It's what Huckabee is doing on the ground in Iowa, though, that could deliver the most tangible gift. His surge has pushed Mitt Romney down to second place. If Huckabee holds on, it would reshape the Republican contest and give McCain's candidacy new life, even though McCain figures to finish far back on caucus night.
Romney is counting on an Iowa victory to help sew up New Hampshire, which holds its primary just five days later. But Andrew Smith, who directs the University of New Hampshire's independent polling unit, says that "if Romney loses in Iowa, I think McCain could very easily be the winner here."
Iowa's caucuses historically exert a strong pull on New Hampshire. "If you lose Iowa, you get penalized," says Smith. After his Iowa defeat in 2004, Howard Dean plummeted 18 points in one day in New Hampshire polling.
