"He could run the greatest campaign in the history of campaigns and still lose by a landslide," said consultant Chris Lehane, a California Democrat who has worked with Schmidt on several projects for corporate clients. "Given the current political environment, the Democrats could nominate a refrigerator and still win."
Schmidt -- 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, his head shaved -- is fully aware that his presence can be intimidating. No less a figure than Bush strategist Karl Rove bestowed on Schmidt the nickname "Bullet," though he and Rove dismiss accounts that he is a Rove protege.
"He has worked very hard to construct this public persona because it serves him," said Dan Schnur, a former McCain advisor who directs the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. "A few soft, quiet few syllables from Steve Schmidt can be more terrifying than screaming from someone else."
Earlier this year, Schmidt paused from a conversation in his office in Arlington, Va., and turned up the volume on CNN. Obama was delivering his speech to 200,000 people in Berlin, and Schmidt winced, acknowledging that Obama is a very polished speaker.
A map of the United States on the wall over Schmidt's shoulder served as a low-tech tracking system. A photo of McCain was pinned to Ohio, showing the candidate was in the state that could decide the election. Schmidt saw McCain's appearance at a German restaurant as far more valuable than the international acclaim showered on Obama's turn on a German stage.
Soon after, McCain employed the classic tactic of turning his foe's strength -- his oratory skills and popularity -- against him. Schmidt took a direct hand in the ads that ridiculed Obama by likening his celebrity to Paris Hilton's.
"We had been discussing the necessity of digging underneath the Obama facade," said Bill Kenyon, a partner in the firm Strategic Perception, which produces McCain's commercials. "The celebrity thing is something that he suggested."
Under Schmidt, the campaign is a tightly run operation. Previously, McCain allowed reporters almost unfettered access. Under Schmidt, the candidate went 40 days without a news conference.
Schmidt's hard-nosed determination to control the slightest detail is irksome to some members of McCain's staff. One senior aide referred to Schmidt as "message Nazi."
There is, however, another side to Schmidt.
