Like Scheduling Bowling On Prom Night After Nobody Asks You To Go

John McCain is trying to pull a "Well I didn't want to be in your stupid caucus anyway" maneuver by dropping out of Iowa to avoid an embarrassing defeat.

Sen. John McCain soon will consider opting out of the Jan. 3 Iowa presidential caucuses to take the sting out of a probable fifth-place finish there.

McCain skipped Iowa in 2000 while nearly seizing the presidential nomination from heavily favored George W. Bush. But when McCain was the early front-runner for 2008, it was decided he would contest the state this time.

The rationale for leaving Iowa now would be total concentration on the subsequent New Hampshire primary. Although McCain defeated Bush by landslide proportions in New Hampshire eight years ago, he did so with overwhelming support from independents who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary this time.

And if they don't vote in the Democratic primary, they have other options on the Republican side, like Ron Paul. The dynamics are completely different from 2000, but for McCain, the result is likely to be the same, despite the media's best efforts.

No word on whether McCain will drop out of the Arizona primary, where he's trailing Rudy Giuliani even though it's his home state. Because that would be even more embarrassing.