The Martin Kettle theory of campaigning

Profile here of Steve Schmidt, John McCain's campaign manager. Considering how close the American election is at the moment, Schmidt is obviously someone who knows what he is on about when it comes to running election campaigns. He has a rule for what to do when people running a campaign can't decide what the correct course of action is:

"Schmidt says he won't allow the campaign to get thrown off by momentary distractions and pundits shooting from the hip. To that end, he and his colleagues have developed what they jokingly call the "Dave Gergen theory of the campaign" -- a metaphor for all talking heads.

Gergen, a veteran of four presidential administrations, is a frequent pundit on cable news. If senior members of the campaign disagree on a strategic move, they watch what Gergen has to say. They then do the opposite."

The British equivalent of this is called the 'Martin Kettle theory of the campaign'.