And then there was one (almost)

    Huckabee doesn't really count anymore.  Even he and his most ardent followers know that he is playing, as Mitt would have put it (and frequently did), for silver, not gold, at least in 2008.  So alone stands John McCain, who woulda thought it a couple of months ago.  He is, almost counter his personality, the embodiment of the Republican Establishment.  He needs to put aside the lone gunman role that he has assumed since coming into public life and recognize that conciliation, not confrontation, should be his new marching orders.
    He has started down that path today with his address, spoken a bit like an acceptance speech, to CPAC, the largest gathering of movement Conservatives each year.  He spoke about respecting them and listening to them.  He spoke about being open to their advice and to give their views serious consideration and if he ultimately disagrees to do so with a sense of shared overall mission even if the tactical decisions differ.
    He has a lot of 'spaining to do.  The crowd was polite and pleased, if not enthusiastic.  There is a sense that they want to see real actions before they will give his words credibility.  Yet, yet, there is a recognition, no matter how difficult to accept, that McCain is and will be the conservatives' standard bearer.  That the petulance of the talk show crowd is a temper tantrum which will be short-lived.
    There are too many important issues.  As Romney said in is valedictory speech, we are at war and the nation cannot afford to forget that for reasons of style and past personal differences.
    John McCain is not my ideal candidate, far from it, but politics is not an utopian pursuit.  Voters must make do with the all too human and flawed people who put themselves out in front for public office.  It comes down to being an adult and choosing.  I choose McCain.

Comments

[emsl]

I hate to say it, but I told you so. Eventually, Romney's total lack of authenticity became inescapable. The other guys were either too lazy, too New York, or too inconsequential. The conservatives are just going to have to decide whether they want a real shot at the White House or they would prefer the reality of a Clinton or Obama administration. It it time for them to tighten their chin straps and get over it.