As for McCain

I think one of the biggest changes of the past couple months, in the world of politics, is the subtle, but definite, shift seen toward Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) among conservative primary voters. With the implosion of former Sen. George Allen in Virginia, conservatives have no candidate in the race that they really like the "feel" of. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is viewed as unelectable. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is viewed as a novelty candidate. Newt Gingrich has the best ideas of the field, but would be a disastrous general-election candidate. Rudy Giuliani is bad on everything except the war on terror. The closest conservatives have is Mitt Romney, but there is still the Mormon issue (which should NOT be discounted, despite what some are arguing) and the recent revelations that, perhaps, he's not all that conservative after all.  That has led some conservative old-timers (bulls from the Reagan administration) to say that they are settling on John McCain. Even though these very same people have denounced McCain for years, they are settling, however, for a few distinct reasons: 1) He is good on the war; 2) he is excellent on spending; 3) he is electable; and 4) he is wrong on a lot of things, but at least we KNOW the ones he is wrong on, and he's pretty good on the things he is right on. What's more, he is one of the very few voices in Washington that is talking sense about the war in Iraq. He is saying, "If we can win, we should do what is necessary to do it ... if we can't, we need to leave." We should all be saying the same thing, rather than the shrill "GET OUT NOW!" the left is offering. At any rate, it's a remarkable turnaround for movement conservatives and John McCain. After years of loathing one another, it is beginning to look like a marriage of convenience may be coming about. Both need one another. It will be really interesting to see who McCain hires for campaign staff and advisers. One of the first signs we knew G.W. Bush would be as conservative as he was came from his hiring of Mike Gersen as his speech writer. We may be able to tell something similar from McCain and Co. by these early hires.

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