Here’s a few links, excerpts of the vehement reactions to McCain’s new ‘frontrunner’ status. I’ll keep it short and sweet this morning. I’ll have to drink quite a bit before pulling the lever for McCain in order to stop Hillary, and I don’t know if I can do it, because if his history is any indication, the few conservative views he has recently espoused will be thrown under the bus as soon as those Democrat Congressmen come a’knocking.

Scarborough Rips McCain: ‘That Is Not a Conservative’ | NewsBusters.org

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let me tell you what a conservative is not:

• A conservative is not a man that calls tax cuts that George Bush passed that revived the economy “tax cuts for the rich.” That is not a conservative.
• A conservative is not a man who is one of two Republicans standing alone in Washington, DC voting against those tax cuts that every other Republican supported in Washington, DC. That is not a conservative.
• A conservative is not a man that teams up with Teddy Kennedy to produce a bill that is nothing short of amnesty that would allow 12 million illegal immigrants to attain legal status the day after John McCain’s bill and Ted Kennedy’s bill becomes law. That is not a conservative.
• A conservative is not somebody that goes on Tim Russert’s show a couple of weeks ago and says if that amnesty bill that would allow 12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens [legal residents] the next day, he does not go on that show and say “yes, I would sign that bill, but don’t worry, it’s not going to come to my desk.” That is not a conservative.
• A conservative is not a man who says he wants to increase taxes maybe 50 cents per gallon on the American people, trying to push through a bill that the rest of the world won’t sign onto. That is not a conservative.

Concluded Scarborough: “I could go on forever and ever.”

Power Line: The core difference between McCain and Romney

Why is it a problem that Mitt Romney didn’t take a position on the surge in December 2006, when he was governor of Massachusetts? At that time, he hadn’t been to Iraq and he had not been briefed on the subject. He also lacked access to classified information. Nor can Romney be blamed for not having become an expert on Iraq. Being governor of Massachusetts is, after all, a full time job.

I suppose Romney could have relied on some combination of prejudice and the views of others. But, while this may be sufficient for bloggers and pundits, it’s not a sound basis for decisionmaking about whether to send 30,000 more troops into harm’s way. Romney did not take a position until he had studied the situation, and I think that’s to his credit.

John McCain rarely lets lack of information and expertise stand in his way. Iraq, of course, is a notable exception. McCain frequently visited Iraq and consulted with everyone he could. For this, and because he found the right answer, he deserves the great credit he claims.

But what about McCain’s other positions? He opposes drilling in ANWR because, in his words, the area is “pristine” (which in this case means barren) and he “wouldn’t drill in the Grand Canyon.” Has any candidate ever presented a less serious analysis of an important policy question?

He opposes waterboarding in part because “torture doesn’t work.” Maybe the things the North Vietnamese did to him at the Hanoi Hilton didn’t work, but we know from eye-witness accounts that waterboarding worked. When I asked McCain about this, he essentially accused the CIA of lying.

McCain’s tendency to make snap judgments based on prejudice rather than information, and his hostility to information that doesn’t conform to his prejudices, is perhaps the most frightening aspect of candidacy. It is also the most stark difference between McCain and Romney, outstripping any substantive disagreements in my view…

Novak Proves McCain Said It | Redstate

Though he has adamantly denied saying Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was too conservative — specifically that he would “draw the line” on appointing someone like Alito because he “wore his conservatism on his sleeve” — as reported by John Fund in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, John McCain’s memory may have failed him. Robert Novak did some digging and here is what he found:

I found what McCain could not remember: a private, informal chat with conservative Republican lawyers shortly after he announced his candidacy in April 2007. I talked to two lawyers who were present whom I have known for years and who have never misled me. One is neutral in the presidential race, and the other recently endorsed Mitt Romney. Both said they were not Fund’s source, and neither knew I was talking to the other. They gave me nearly identical accounts, as follows:

“Wouldn’t it be great if you get a chance to name somebody like Roberts and Alito?” one lawyer commented. McCain replied, “Well, certainly Roberts.” Jaws were described as dropping. My sources cannot remember exactly what McCain said next, but their recollection is that he described Alito as too conservative.

Hewitt: McCain, SCOTUS, and the Conservatives’ Choice

Ed Morrissey notes that this account is even more troubling than Fund’s, and of course we have McCain’s denial of what seems certainly to be a true account, a denial that mirrors those he thrashed his way through last night on the “timetables” nonsense. (See Paul Mirengoff’s “A Surge Of Dishonesty” for a standard reaction to this low point for the McCain campaign.)

This revelation, combined with McCain’s halting debate performance last night and his increasingly strident assertions about global warming are going to give his handlers heartburn this week. McCain ought to be striding forward, but he is tired and unfocussed, and the fact remains he is trying to win a GOP nomination with a string of 35% wins against a divided conservative vote.

The conservatives care about judges in ways Senator McCain simply does not, and that message is going to be broadcast again and again this week, and weekend, as well Senator McCain’s record on the First Amendment, tax cuts, ANWR, and of course illegal immigration.

If the Huckabee supporters are conservatives, they will recognize the peril to their party’s core beliefs and abandon their favorite who has no chance of winning in favor of Mitt Romney who does. The Giuliani voters may surprise as well, as many of his fans in California are conservatives who were willing to overlook Rudy’s views on abortion in order to win, but who are now facing a possible McCain nomination and the recognition that the Arizona maverick is a phenomenally weak general election candidate upon whom the Dems and MSM will fall as soon as he has the nomination locked up.

Gateway Pundit: Ruh-Roh… McCain Supported Benchmarks for Iraq

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Bob Novak confirms McCain’s anti-Alito comment

Michelle Malkin » Reagan vs. McCain on profits, business, and the free market

Reagan: “The best minds are not in government; if they were, business would steal them away.”

Right Wing Nut House » THE DEBATE OF ALMOST, MOSTLY, REPUBLICANS

For McCain, I suspect his fealty to conservatism and conservative principles will last until he wins the White House. It will be at that point that we will get a glimpse of just how important he thinks his conservatism is by looking at his cabinet appointments and the manner in which he fills other important posts in his Administration. I daresay there will be many “maverick” choices – including Democrats – that will curdle the blood of most movement conservatives and dismay the rest of us.

Would Romney be any different? The former governor and CEO would almost certainly look for the most competent people he can find to run the government. No doubt we would be disappointed in some of his choices. At least we could be assured that his selections were not made to “stick it” to conservatives – a disease McCain seems to have acquired over the years as his contempt for the right has been demonstrated on numerous occasions.

McCain and Huckabee can say they’re the best conservatives in the race until doomsday and it won’t make it so. And Romney can call his conversion to conservatism true and honorable until the cows come home and there will always be that nagging doubt in the back of everyone’s mind.

…

Would independents and even some Democrats really support McCain in a general election against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? Not unless McCain made a conscious decision to virtually abandon the conservative base and adopt a more centrist platform. That’s because the country itself has moved slightly leftward in the last 8 years. On a variety of important issues including health insurance, the environment, and Middle Class entitlements, the American people appear ready to accept more government as the solution to perceived problems.

Alarming News: Mitt. Mitt. Mitt.

There is more conservative man in this race, and one that doesn’t want to change the constitution to reflect the bible. That man is Mitt Romney. We’ll all have to suck it up and go with McCain if he’s the Republican candidate running against Hillary or Obama. But we don’t have to do it yet. Go Mitt.

California Conservative » Three Cheers For John McCain

How can you argue against Stu’s logic? After all, isn’t it time that we just set aside our core beliefs for the good of the party? Just because our core beliefs have stood the test of time doesn’t mean that they’ll forever stand the test of time, right? Isn’t it better to agree with the latest opinion poll than agree with time-tested principles like federalism, limited government and sovereignty?

Seriously, though, Glenn’s and Stu’s mock conversation is being conducted all across the United States. People haven’t seen proof that Republicans still have a set of core values. People haven’t seen proof that Republicans stand for something other than being in the majority. The truth is that Reaganite conservatives stand for something quite different than Democrats.

Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them | Redstate

Tuesday night, John McCain won big and looked like a big man doing so.

Wednesday night, John McCain looked small.

I suppose that I can understand if McCain is feeling upset over the fact that he was the target of a number of negative ads from Mitt Romney. But after watching his performance during the debate at the Reagan Library, I can’t say that I feel all that sympathetic. Maybe I should, but I don’t.

Atlas Shrugs: McCain is Nuts

… and that just about sums it up. In a nutshell. It is only a matter if time before he goes off like a ticking time bomb. I can’t wait for him to blow like the Dean scream or insane Perot - as long as he reveals himself before super Tuesday.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » McCain considered benchmarks in January 2007

During the Reagan Library debate, Sen. John McCain spent several minutes attacking Gov. Mitt Romney for allegedly supporting timetables and benchmarks on progress in Iraq. I’ve already taken that attack apart here and Jay has the original GMA clip here. But the facts are not only inconvenient to McCain on what Romney said. They’re inconvenient on what McCain himself said. He considered supporting timetables himself in January 2007. The Arizona Star has the story.

Neocon Express endorses McCain!

I find the Hysterical reaction to McCain by some fellow conservatives distasteful. A true American war hero, pro-life and a real leader, not a slick pretender and fancy talker who has never done anything (like many of his critics). It is the man in the arena who counts, not the yappers in the bleachers. He is imperfect as all of us are, and I don’t agree with all of his past activities on immigration, campaign finance or the ‘no vote’ on the Bush tax cuts. But on balance he is an attractive candidate with an unbeatable resume with a wide appeal, which is exactly what we need right now. Most importantly, he truly gets the threat of radical Islam and has the longest resume on National Security issues, which is this site’s top concern. JOHN McCAIN FOR PRESIDENT!

McCain Looks Foolish Accusing Romney of Supporting “Timetables” | Redstate

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: “How is it that you’re the expert on my position?”

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: McCain says he wouldn’t vote for his immigration bill now

McCain to Win | Redstate

It comes to this: John McCain and Mitt Romney. Rudy’s out, and Huckabee is finished but will likely stay in the race as long as there is a race to stay in. More on them at another time, for we Republicans have a decision to make, and an important one: fall in behind the newly cemented frontrunner, John McCain, or stage a last-chance, rearguard action behind Mitt Romney. I’m sure I will not surprise anyone who has been reading my writings on this race these last few months when I say that I am supporting McCain, and hoping that the Party gets behind him quickly when and if, as seems likely, he sweeps a number of large states on Super-Duper Tuesday six days from now.

Big Lizards:Blog:Entry “McCain’s Greatest Asset”

McCain will be tough for anyone to best even in the general election. Hence his continued status as Republicans’ choice for the most “electable” Republican, according to virtually every survey ever conducted. But what exactly is it about McCain that makes him so electable?

It’s certainly not the posiions he takes. To the extent that they differ at all from the other GOP candidates, they fly in the face of traditional conservative doctrine. Nor do they line up with some unmet demand of independents or moderate Democrats: McCain’s position on immigration, for example, appears to satisfy no one except some Cuban immigrants in Florida. Most Republicans clearly prefer a much harder line, while Democrats would rather we had full-blown amnesty — while McCain-Kennedy, despite he rap from those trying to kill it from the right, is at most a plea-bargain.

On the war in Iraq, while McCain certainly supported the counterinsurgency strategy at least a year before President George W. Bush did, and McCain has been its biggest booster, his position today is no different from that of Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Mitt Romney… and Mitt is still in the race.

Some may point to “leadership;” but that is a portmanteau quality that is actually a concatenation of a number of different subqualities: the candidate’s positions, his oratory skills, his background and experience, his general stature… and one other quality that I think is really at the core of McCainomania, and which has underpinned McCain’s support all through his long career: John McCain is incredibly charismatic for a modern politician.

The Corner on National Review Online

Yeah, Senator, That’s the Problem [Andy McCarthy]

McCain: “There are some greedy people on Wall Street who need to be punished.”

Is he our guy, or what?

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Open thread: The last, best hope for conservative kind; Update: Mitt backs off on Super Tuesday ads?

Super Tuesday Math 2.0 - Townhall.com::Blog

Hot Air - Michelle tells Glenn Beck: I won’t vote for McCain over Hillary

So there you have it. Most of the reaction continues to be anti-McCain, where I fall, while you do have some people lining up behind who they believe can win. I think it is delusional to ignore the rampant disregard for conservative principles that McCain shows, but time will tell.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 11:05 AM and is filed under 2008 Race, Conservatism, Domestic, Economy, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Iraq, Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.