The Man from Arizona

John McCain becomes the second man from my home state to get the GOP nomination in the last 50 years. Like the previous nominee, Barry Goldwater, he is an outspoken maverick with little to no reservations about calling a spade a spade, fighting for what he thinks is right, or being unpopular for a while if that's what it takes to get something done the right way. He even seriously jeopardized (and continues to jeopardize) his candidacy by being
irretrievably supportive of an unpopular war.

No matter one's view of him on the issues or him as a person, it cannot be denied that this may be one of the great political comebacks in *all* of American history--particularly recent history. He was written off for dead in June and July by most everyone, including me (he was on the same flight as me from Phoenix to DC in late June--flying coach), was broke, had to shake up his staff, go into debt, swallow his pride, and fight. Now he has all but won in the most competitive GOP primary in decades--perhaps half a century or more--and could become leader of the free world.

Now, though praising him in all the above, I strongly disagree with him on a number of issues. In fact, pretty much his entire platform. I don't want him to be president and think many of his views are naive at best, disastrous and deadly at worst. But, I respect him and think he is a good man as a principled conservative.

So why do so many conservative pundits seem to loathe him? (Andrew Sullivan, a conservative himself, has a good roundup of GOP pundits here). A Senator who worships Reagan, has spent an entire career espousing fiscal discipline, smaller government, rights of the unborn, supremacy of US military strength, and free-trade doesn't qualify as a conservative anymore? Apparently, unless one espouses a scorched earth policy of "destroy the Ds, torture the enemy, and throw out the damn Mexicans" one isn't a conservative anymore.

Need I remind the GOP pundits that Reagan actually gave complete amnesty to illegal immigrants? Can anyone imagine Reagan supporting torture? Whatever...the GOP is in serious, serious disarray.