Barack Obama’s poll lead over John McCain has plummeted from 51-35 to a statistical dead-heat in less than a month.

Obama’s downward spiral has Newsweek’s headline writers asking if his glow is fading. The polls finds that more than half of voters consider Obama lying opportunist who will take any position for votes.

Obama’s rapid drop comes at a strategically challenging moment for the Democratic candidate. Having vanquished Hillary Clinton in early June, Obama quickly went about repositioning himself for a general-election audience–an unpleasant task for any nominee emerging from the pander-heavy primary contests and particularly for a candidate who’d slogged through a vigorous primary challenge in most every contest from January until June. Obama’s reversal on FISA legislation, his support of faith-based initiatives and his decision to opt out of the campaign public-financing system left him open to charges he was a flip-flopper. In the new poll, 53 percent of voters (and 50 percent of former Hillary Clinton supporters) believe that Obama has changed his position on key issues in order to gain political advantage.

This is very bad news for a man who is afraid to debate his Republican rival, counts terrorists among his best friends, and has been caught in numerous lies throughout the campaign.

Congratulations, Democrats: you might have nominated the only person who can’t beat a Republican this fall.