Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

The McCain Myth

Over at OpinionJournal.com, Brendan Mintner exposes the "McCain Myth":

What the McCain Myth ignores is that for now a majority of voters nationwide embrace conservative principles. Talk of being a "compassionate conservative" notwithstanding, it wasn't maverick moderatism that handed President Bush victories in 2000 and 2004. Nor has the McCain Myth been responsible for padding Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Indeed, Republicans have been winning by sticking to their principles and not bucking their party's ideas on tax cuts, national defense or reforming the judiciary.

It's a must read. I object to McCain on principle (mainly because of his first amendment-violating (notwithstanding a majority of the Supreme Court to the contrary) and incumbent-protecting campaign finance laws), but also because I find him arrogant, selfish, unintelligent, and generally smarmy. If he wins the GOP nomination in '08, every Republican president from Lincoln to Reagan (possibly excepting Nixon) will be spinning in their graves.