McCain cancels on Bilbray: another sign of impending GOP loss?

John McCain has cancelled his appearance at a fundraiser for CA-50 GOP candidate Brian Bilbray.

The reason, according to McCain's office, is that McCain and Bilbray disagree over immigration reform.

But the truth may be something more simple: McCain doesn't want to tarnish his credentials by showing up in a district where the Republican could lose the special election six days from now.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, McCain's office tried to get the Bilbray campaign to close the fundraising breakfast to the local media. McCain apparently didn't want his presence on Bilbray's behalf well-publicized -- even though it had only been added to the schedule recently.

Which is more believable: that McCain doesn't want to talk about immigration, or that McCain doesn't want to have his picture taken with a loser? McCain is the chief Senate sponsor of the immigration reform bill that the Senate just spent two weeks debating. Is it really possible that he would be bashful about that?

It's not like the Senate immigration debate happened suddenly. The Senate schedule was known a long time ago. McCain and Bilbray campaign officials knew when they scheduled the fundraiser for the last week of the special election campaign that the Senate would have just gotten done debating the legislation.

What they did not know when they scheduled the event was just how close this race would become -- so close, going into its final six days, that most local handicappers are calling it "pick 'em."