The Real McCain

It seems McCain is enjoying a recent bump in popularity, particularly in New Hampshire. This makes some sense. Romney’s a bit plastic and late for the party. Huckabee is uneducated and populist. Giuliani is liberal and his personal life is a mess. Tancredo’s dropped out. Paul is a fringe candidate. Thompson’s been a lackluster, anemic candidate. But let’s not forget why McCain was ranked lower than one would expect in the first place. After all, he is hawkish and socially conservative. Even his opposition to Bush’s tax cuts could plausibly defended as an austerity measure. No, his open borders fanaticism is what held him back, and those views seem far more visceral to him (as in the case of Bush) than his recent movement the other way, viz.: