Arizona's McCain -- 2008's Phoenix?
It's not just Bridget and I who are (surprisingly) warming up to John McCain. It's a full-blown movement. It must be -- both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal say so. Quoth the times:
In a sign of a re-energized candidacy, (McCain) plans to return after Christmas Day to campaigning in Iowa, where he has failed, until recently, to gain support and has devoted few resources since the near-collapse of his campaign in the summer...The crowds following Mr. McCain (in New Hampshire) have been steadily growing in the last month. On Monday, they burst out the door of American Legion Post 59 in Hillsborough as he announced an endorsement by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut.
It is a trifecta of major newspaper endorsements, from The Des Moines Register, The Manchester Union Leader and The Boston Globe, along with others, that has buoyed the campaign with a little more than two weeks before the first nominating contests.
Is McCain peaking at just the right moment? Could be. Meanwhile, things aren't going so well for Rudy Giuliani. The New York Sun reports:
Rudolph Giuliani's decision to largely abandon the early voting state of New Hampshire and concentrate his efforts on the Florida primary three weeks later reflects an uncomfortable truth for the former New York mayor: The more he campaigned in the Granite State and the more he spent on advertising there, the more his poll numbers dropped.
For once, a prediction of mine seems to be bearing out. As I have said repeatedly (see here and here) the more Republicans get to know Rudy, the less they'll like him.
What a fascinating trip this campaign has been, with all its ups and downs. A Rudy-Hillary race once seemed ineivtable; now it looks like neither might make it to the general election. And the McCain resurgence makes things all the more interesting: A solid man of principle, McCain would be the perfect anti-Hillary. His crossover appeal would arguably make him the most competitive Republican. And if the Dems were foolish enough to nominate Obama or Edwards, McCain would have to be the favorite, IMO.
I have always liked alot about McCain, just not his stand on illegal immigration. I hope that he learned his lesson from the whole amnesty disaster and will now step up to defend this nation once again.
We need to stop illegal immigration and start making legal immigration more fair and attractive.
I used to like McCain too. I could overlook his sell out on the courts. I could understand his personal feelings regarding waterboarding.
But, a president who's great except for his support of borders is like... a cop who'd be great if his family wasn't all mobsters... A soldier who'd make general, if he didn't like enemy so much... a surgeon who'd do save a lot of lives if he weren't blind... a brave fire chief with a penchant for arson.
They just don't go together.