The Pendragon's Hall

The pictures all over the news today were certainly instructive although the media, as usual, misinterpreted it. It showed John McCain flanked by two supporters: Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The media (including McCain-worshipping Fox) described how it shows the mounting support for McCain's candidacy. The Pendragon respectfully disagrees. What it shows is that McCain is...a liberal. Giuliani is more liberal than most Democrats and he supports McCain. Schwarzenegger is a Nixon Republican, not a Reagan Republican (all his personal likability notwithstanding). The liberal wing of the Republican Party is what is supporting this "McCain surge." But it can be a two-bladed sword. Reagan and Bush brilliantly united the wings, but relying on liberals is tricky business. It was conservatives who always made the difference for Republicans. George Bush I tried to placate liberals enraged that he wanted to remove an evil despot by hiking taxes. He won the approval of the New York Times. Enter Bill Clinton, a real tax hiker. The liberals ditched Bush like he had the plague and conservatives were disenchanted. Remember 1992? Or how about in 1996 when Bob Dole ran for the Republican nomination portraying himself as a moderate response to Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes--a war veteran who couldn't possibly lose to the controversial Clinton. When it came time to reinvent himself as a true conservative Republican, we were all suspicious of him. Anybody remember a President Dole in recent history? And looky here, we have a candidate named John McCain who supported raising taxes, has won the approval of the New York Times, trots out his veteran credentials at every turn and is being hailed by every liberal in the country, even aptly-named Dick Morris, as the sure-fire candidate to beat another Clinton. ::Sigh:: Oh well. Perhaps Romney can run again in 2012 when it comes time to unseat President Hillary.