McCain set to begin White House run

By Michael J.W. Stickings

It's official. Almost. John McCain is running for president. According to ABC News, "[a] presidential exploratory committee is expected to be set up this month -- perhaps as early as next week," though a "final decision will likely not come until after the Christmas holidays".

Given his alleged "maverick" credentials, an outsider on the inside, the Republicans' dismal performance on Tuesday will likely benefit him. If he can position himself as a friendly critic of Bush while also standing firm against the Democratic Congress even as he cooperates to work out some sort of resolution to the war, he may be able to unify his party behind him, particularly if the party sees him as the best way to win the White House in '08. But will he be able to walk that tightrope? Will he be able to withstand a challenge from the right? Will he be able to secure the support of the evangelical right? Will his ardent support for the Iraq War end up bringing him down? How many times will we see this photo of the notorious hug, the image that links him for all posterity to the president whose leadership has been so thoroughly repudiated by the vast majority of the American people?

Here at The Reaction, Heraclitus has expressed "having a soft spot for McCain". For my part, I have admired him at times in the past but now consider him delusional on foreign policy and just plain wrong on Iraq, a true-believing neocon, more than Bush ever was, and, on social issues, a partisan hack and panderer to the evangelical right, a social conservative as much as a maverick, drifting rightward to win the support of his party's base.

So he's running. And he's a leading contender. And he could very well win the presidency. But how low will he go in pursuit of that ultimate goal?

Will the real John McCain please stand up, please stand up?