Where's the Big Bounce for Obama?

Several weeks ago I read how the McCain camp was supposedly braced for a large Obama bounce in the polls once Hillary Clinton finally conceded. Well, she conceded; Obama got a small bounce; and the latest Gallup tracking poll shows McCain and Obama in a virtual tie. That's a bad sign for Obama.

The McCain camp should be breathing a sigh of relief, in addition to getting a burst of prudent, non-excessive optimism (the "audacity of hope" as Obama and Rev. Wright would say) for the general election. Here is another observer at NationalReview.com who noticed the same thing that I did. Why is all this important at this stage? Expectations play a big role in campaigns because they play a big role in media coverage, in fundraising, and in voter psychology. McCain just won a big round in the expectations game. Of course, most of the liberal media will not take note of McCain's good fortune but instead will maintain an uneasy silence about this particular campaign milestone.