Its Time to Start Thinking about John McCain

With a courage based on the proposition that, if I get it wrong no one will remember, and if I get it right, I can remind everyone that I'm brilliant," I confidently predict that John McCain will be the Republican nominee for President in 2008.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it, until it turns out to be false or I chicken out, whichever comes first. 

I wish it to be clear that this is not a endorsment.  SDP is of course a nonpartisan blog which just happens to have a lot of partisan manpower at its disposal.  So I don't expect we will make any endorsments.  Besides, I have long had a lot of reservations about McCain.  He seemed too certain of his own positions and too intolerant of Senate colleages who disagreed with him.  Moreover the key piece of legislation that bears his name is one of the worst in a long line of campaign finance reforms.  I could go on. 

But McCain has gone a long way toward showing the kind of political discipline that is needed in a President.  He suppressed whatever anger he felt toward the Bush administration after the 2000 election and has been a vital team player for Bush.  He was an archetect of the Senate compromise that saved the filibuster.  So far, as I brilliantly predicted, that compromise has been a big win for Republicans.  He is now leading the charge to cut billions in pork out of the budget to pay for Katrina rebuilding.  Michael Baronne has a feature article in U.S. News. 

On spending, he said that to offset the spending of Hurricane Katrina and to prevent what "may be the largest deficit in history," Congress should revisit the highway bill—the big transportation bill passed earlier this year—and should consider delaying or repealing the Medicare prescription drug bill. On both of these issues his positions are to the right of the Bush administration's: After all, Bush signed both bills.

I see little chance for that, but it sure won't make McCain look any worse for trying.  Given the current weakness of the Republican bench (anyone want to run Bill Frist against Hilliary Clinton?), I think McCain is in the best position.