Monday, December 17, 2007

It's Raining McCain Endorsements   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Just to follow on from what Mark said about John McCain, when NR endorsed Romney last week, we had this to say about McCain and Thompson (who Rep. Steve King endorsed this morning):

Two other major candidates would be able to keep the coalition together, but have drawbacks of their own. John McCain is not as conservative as Romney. He sponsored and still champions a campaign-finance law that impinged on fundamental rights of political speech; he voted against the Bush tax cuts; he supported this year’s amnesty bill, although he now says he understands the need to control the border before doing anything else.

Despite all that and more, he is a hero with a record that is far more good than bad. He has been a strong and farsighted supporter of the Iraq War, and, in a trying political season for him, he has preserved and even enhanced his reputation for dignity and seriousness. There would be worse nominees for the GOP (see above). But McCain ran an ineffectual campaign for most of the year and is still paying for it.

Fred Thompson is as conservative as Romney, and has distinguished himself with serious proposals on Social Security, immigration, and defense. But Thompson has never run any large enterprise — and he has not run his campaign well, either. Conservatives were excited this spring to hear that he might enter the race, but have been disappointed by the reality. He has been fading in crucial early states. He has not yet passed the threshold test of establishing for voters that he truly wants to be president.

I admire Senator McCain and have even, like others here, flirted with the idea of him as the Republican nominee. But he’s not the most viable conservative in the race — I doubt the Boston Globe and Des Moines Register would have endorsed him if he were. Romney is.

12/17 12:20 PMShare