Some conservatives have lost perspective in the current election cycle. Overheated rhetoric is becoming the mainstream, and accusations of disloyalty and catastrophe are the buzzwords of blogs and talk radio.
Here are my thoughts for your consideration. Lets keep in mind one simple thing: politics is the art of possible, not the ideal. You don't win in politics by losing, and you don't win by sitting it out. Each person can make that decision as they choose, of course. But the animosity being shoveled at McCain is almost Kossack-like. Somebody was bound to say that McCain Derangement Syndrome exists.
What I'm finding hard to swallow is the conservatives-as-purists, people who are asserting that if the Republican candidate does not line up exactly with their ideals then they must not be a conservative. It's hard to add to Ed Morrissey and his comments about Ann Coulter. I've stated before that I think Coulter is bad for the conservative cause, and her recent assertion that she'd campaign for Hillary Clinton if McCain becomes the nominee is completely absurd. Where's the logic in this? Coulter criticizes McCain for aligning himself with Democrats, so her solution . . . is to campaign for Democrats? That's not a considered and thoughtful political position. That is McCain Derangement Syndrome (if you watch the video over at Ed's, even Sean Hannity was embarrassed by her tirade, and Alan Colmes seemed to be loving it). Even the Maja Rushdie has been a disappointment. I catch Rush every once in a great while and have a lot of respect for him and find him to be very wise and successful. But he's not my vote guide for the primaries. Once again, it goes back to the purists: Rush seems to think it's his duty to identify who among us is a "true conservative."
There are some legitimate criticisms to level at McCain. McCain-Feingold was stupid legislation, and I think McCain was wrong on immigration. My own sympathies are leaning towards Mitt Romney now (since Giuliani and Thompson are out), but if McCain becomes the nominee, I'll support him because he'll be better for the country than Clinton or Obama. No doubt I'll oppose some of his policies and acknowledge his disdain at times for the party, but he's a better choice for the nation than the current crop of Democrats. He'll be more conservative than either Dem nominee, which means better court appointments, a better chance at fighting tax increases, and more success in the war. If he loses, we're stuck in the minority for the next four, eight, or twelve years.
Feel free to blow of steam and offer criticism, but don't let it ruin your life.
UPDATE: Vin Weber and Mark Levin both make strong cases for Mitt Romney. Also, in major news, the Denver Post -- the largest paper in the Rocky Mountain west -- has endorsed Romney. The battle of newspaper endorsements favors McCain, but the Post endorsement is worth a look.
UPDATE II: Here's another reason to support Mitt. Robert Novak writes: "While President George W. Bush has maintained neutrality among contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, he privately expresses to friends his exasperation with Mitt Romney's hard-line stance on immigration."
UPDATE III: Steve Forbes has endorsed McCain. He'll need his help, as economics is not McCain's strong point.
UPDATE IV: The Wall Street Journal reports that John McCain is making inroads with conservatives heading into Super Tuesday. Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg, Roger Simon, Rachel Lucas, and Donald Douglas are echoing my call for conservative unity and ending the irrational hatred of McCain. Also, in Newsweek Karl Rove surveys the Republican field and asks, what conservative crackup?
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