Hugh Hewit has some pointed but spot on analysis of the very angry, defensive John McCain we saw last night,and Mark Steyn adds:

... As for his line about "some greedy people on Wall Street who need to be punished", aside from being almost entirely irrelevant to the subject under discussion (the subprime "crisis"), it reveals, I think, one of the most unpleasant aspects of McCain. For a so-called "maverick", he's very comfortable with the application of Big Government power, and the assumption of Big Government virtue. Undoubtedly there are "greedy people on Wall Street". Why should he and his chums be the ones who decide whether they need to be "punished"? If greed is to be punishable, why doesn't he start with a pilot program applied to, say, the United States Senate and report back to us in five years how that's going?
Primary triumph doesn't seem to be doing anything to mitigate the small and graceless side of McCain.

Also (just curious) has anyone looked at whether any of McCain's big contributors are also giving to Huckabee? I ask this because there is no question in my mind that Huckabee is running for one reason and one reason only: to dilute the Conservative vote of those who would otherwise vote for Romney. If someone plugged into all this can find some financial links, it might be fruitful for the public to know it.

Count me in with Dan Riehl's incredulity; he previews what a McCain-authored platform might look like. If this isn't a reason for Romney to go the distance (i.e. so that worst case his delegates can exert its influence over the platform), I don't know what is:

Has anyone stopped to think that if McCain gets the GOP nod, there will come a time when the party has to draft a platform with an obstinate, if not defiant, McCain - an often angry man with a history of holding conservatives in disdain? Someone pinch me, please. Has anyone thought of what that platform will look like? In 2004, it was called pablum by Novak. In 2008, I'm thinking tofu. Or, maybe cereal. Wouldn't want to make the old folks have to chew.
Will it say we will advocate strongly against any new drilling or exploration of so-called pristine areas? That we will encourage states to pass legislation against off-shore drilling, thereby saving those precious resources for China and others using technology to stand far off-shore and drain them down?
Help me out here, someone, please.
Will it advocate mirandizing non-uniformed, enemy combatants suspected of assaulting, maiming or killing US troops in Iraq, or Afghanistan? Keeping a bevy of ACLU lawyers on hand overseas, preventing questioning, unless agreed? Because if it doesn't, there is no way an effective prosecution could ever take place within the US Courts, as McCain insists. How do we draw distinctions between what would, or wouldn't be a Guantanamo detainee-type without first violating protections of which they will later be assured back to their time of arrest? Does McCain even understand the complex can of legal worms he is opening up for which he and Republicans would be held to account?
Will it advocate not supporting any tax cuts for what the Left defines as "the rich?" That we will actively seek out alleged evil doers from Main Street to Wall Street who make what we feel are excessive profits, so that we can punish them, as he suggested in tonight's debate?
Are you kidding me? Am I freaking dreaming here, or what?
Obviously it will support America unilaterally adopting anti-Global Warming measures that cripple our industrial base to improve our International profile on the issue ... while we lobby China and India to please play along. I suppose, if they don't co-operate, we will support turning that effective ogre, the UN, loose on them to straighten them out. Right?
Help me because my head is going to explode. I simply can't get my mind around it. What is a Republican Platform for 2008 going to look like with a McCain as the nominee. I need to know, because by the time I am finished comparing it to the Dems, America might actually be better off under theirs.
Think about it. This is freaking insane. Has al qaeda poisoned our water with an hallucinogenic, or are the Republicans actually on the verge of nominating John McCain?
Watching him lie about Romney and his obviously self-satisfied preening at the debate last night was bad enough. But contemplating a political platform with this man in the lead is just too much. I feel as if there aren't enough Republicans left in America to stop this madness.
Speaking as an Independent, you guys have gone insane. That may mean McCain fits right in, but, geez, guys, you may have to count me out.

And no sooner do I read this than I see on television that the Governator is about to endorse McCain; Arnold is being introduced at a company called Solar Integrated Technologies in LA. Prior to introducing McCain its CEO is talking about the "harm" of greenhouse gasses (you know, like the one that trees need in order to create O2...). And now Arnold can't stop talking about Global Warming, and says he is endorsing McCain (and I quote), because he too is interested in a "Green Future". Wow. It is like hallucinating. I include this anecdote because it punctuates everything in the Riehl piece.
God help us all. I've always been skeptical of third parties--they almost always do very little other than to help decide the elections in favor of the worst candidate. But if a real viable Conservative Party were to emerge with big hitters in tow (Gingrich would be a great start...), and lots of GOP defections, count me in. And now McCain is talking about the need for a Global commitment... Also there is an announcement today that Texas Governor Rick Perry will endorse McCain. He was a Rudy guy, but I still view this as a betrayal. Un-freaking-believable.
The only bright spot that I can see on the horizon is that Mitt Romney just bought up a huge amount of ad time for Super Tuesday. Mitt on the Super Bowl?
Meanwhile, Glenn Reynolds is reporting that some Thompson supporters are keeping hope alive. But they are going about it the wrong way. The right way is to vote for Mitt and derail this runaway train before it is too late. Let's deadlock this thing!


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