McCain: The Straightest Moderate
McCain is the candidate I trust the most in the White House, and tonight he just thrashed Mitt Romney. The common wisdom says that Giuliani, who was arrogant enough to suggest that Iowa and New Hampshire don't count, is going to pull out of the race tomorrow and throw his support to back McCain. That makes sense, and I hope it goes that way.
Sen. John McCain is an American hero, a man of great personal integrity and someone who has always stood strongly on the side of his country. He often rubs conservatives the wrong way, and his “maverick” image causes much consternation—however, when it comes right down to it a man who agrees with us 80% of the time is better than a woman who represents the worst of American politics and a man whose great rhetoric is but a cover for a fundamental lack of real-world experience. We may have our issues with John McCain, but when it comes down to the basic principles of the party: fiscal conservatism, a strong national defense and strengthening the family, McCain has his heart in the right place.
I predict that it's what all Republicans are going to be saying in the coming months, as soon as they recognize two out of three things. 1. Perfect is the enemy of good, and 2. Time's up for the standard social conservative hardline. 3. McCain gets serious bills passed in a partisan Congress.
A McCain/Giuliani ticket can only be beaten by a Clinton/Obama ticket. And if Obama sells out to Clinton, well then he'll never get any respect around here any more, and shouldn't get any from any of his devotees to 'change' no matter how misled they already are. It seems to me that Obama only works in Obamavision, but I digress.
A McCain presidency ought to be a single-termer, and I think we'd all be happiest with that. He'll have the good sense to not run again, I think. But the real news here is what a Romney failure means in light of what social conservatives aim to do in the GOP. I think it means that we break from a full press to the right on every issue to a reasonable press on the issues that matter most, National Security and the Economy. If America goes Socialist, a lot of us won't want to have our babies born here. But I kid. The clear message that Florida has sent is that they want McCain, and it really starts to change from here on out, because it wasn't even close.
