Sen. John McCain officially announced he was running for president in April 2007.

"Raw Politics" on "Anderson Cooper 360" delivers the latest political news with a wry sense of a humor and without spin.

(CNN) - When I ran marathons, I took heart from the kind souls who lined the route in those torturous last few miles.

In clusters of three or four, they would wave, cheer and hold out orange slices or bits of banana.

Sometimes they had funny signs like, "Which great explorer finishes every marathon? DeSoto." Say it out loud and you'll get it - "the sore toe."

The point is, when you are struggling along with blistered feet, aching legs and lungs that feel like Shredded Wheat, it is awfully nice to have a stranger give you a pat on the back.

I was thinking of that this week as I watched the candidates slog through another day of campaigning. I looked at the calendar and mentally counted the months until November. Well, OK, I counted them on my fingers. Seven months. And all the candidates have been running much longer than that already.

Full story