Too late now.

McCain has been so thoroughly sold as the "Great Left Hope," or, at least, the "Great 'Centrist' Hope,"--as the not-Bush--that it is too late to erase that image in the popular mind.

It is because Leftists are ideologues and that conservatism is the absense of ideology that we are able to steer those people like radio-controlled model airplanes.

They'll figure it out when the press turns on him and begins reacting with horror to his conservative pronouncements.

Lou, I hope you're right, but where are we steering them to?

Be real - the MSM thinks Chafee is a conservative and Ted Kennedy is a moderate. The MSM will turn on McCain as soon as he becomes the GOP nominee.

Yes, but what he learned fromn W is that they don't matter.

Rudy's going to Iowa???

McCain is a backstabbing, self-serving, snake. He's "conservative" if he thinks he can get votes with it and "liberal" when he thinks that will work. As a prominent Republican, McCain, over the past 5 years, could have made life a Hell of a lot better for the Bush administration - his duty. But he felt better as a "maverick" forming partnerships with the likes of that kook Feingold to trample all over our first amendment rights.

McCain will get zero support from any real conservative for we see what this crock is full of.

michael:

He's a conservative when they count votes in the Senate.

Just ask Ma Schafly.

OJ: I don't think Senate voting records mean a damn thing.

Jon:

It's what's in his heart, not what he does as a public official?

When you're talking about the President, the answer to that question would have to be yes. It's not just another public office.

Of course it is--he even puts his pants on one leg at a time.

He still hasn't won many conservatives over, but only a few have declared themselves to be in the "I'm never voting for him" category. For the majority of the others, he's simply on probation for now, and will remain the likely frontrunner unless he pulls some major faux pas in the next 22 months that causes a large majority of the right to go out and actively campaign against him.

Yes, he is so constrained by Nature. Politically he's a lot less constrained, and so our estimation of his temperament matters that much more.

John:

That's Beltway bullwash. He gets 90% support from Republicans in polls. Unless you're saying that only that 10% is truly "conservative."

joe:

No, presidents are fiercely constrained by Congress, not at all by Nature.

C'mon, oj -- presidents drive Congresses like the cattle they are. Now to be sure there are long fallow periods in every presidency, but in times of crisis they get what they want, if they want it enough. You've said as much yourself dozens of times. Don't make me quote you.

No, they don't or we'd have SS Reform.

oj. The BDS bunch wouldn't have been able to conjure up this much venom without a war to roil against and Bush most probably would have gotten most of his reforms through congress.

The war hasn't had much effect--the 2000 long count did.

oj:

You said, "He's a conservative when they count votes in the Senate."

So you think McCain-Feingold is conservative? You think that attacking the Republican president at every turn is an example of being conservative - giving ammunition to the liberals? He's a snake who will say whatever he thinks will get him votes - that's all he is. Although I sometimes suspect he is a real-life "Manchurian Candidate."

And some of the other stuff I've heard about his drinking, drug use, womanizing and truly boorish behavior will never stand public scrutiny. The infatuation some misguided Republicans have with him right now will fade fast - even faster than he faded in the last presidential campaign he tried to mount.

Posted by: michael at March 22, 2006 1:27 PM

michael:

You are correct--there's one issue where he isn't conservative. Of course, the mos conservative president since Coolidge signed CFR which passed a conservative Congress. On everything else McCain's bona fides are impeccable.