I was struck by the paragraphs in the Washington Post article about the Virginia Senate race that brownsox quoted in the House & Senate Roundup, 6/16 this afternoon.
They seemed ripe for a rewrite and application to the presidential race. So, below the fold is my toungue tongue in cheek reinterpretation of those two paragraphs as they apply to John McCain's presidential candidacy.
FOR THOSE many millions of United States residents who are newly naturalized citizens or are newly of voting age, it must seem a strange spectacle that current Republican Senator John McCain -- who also served a stint in the House of Representatives -- managed to cobble together a winning coalition against a paltry field of more conservative Republican hopefuls to become the GOP's nominee for President of the United States. It may seem odder still to watch prominent conservatives either endorse Congressman Ron Paul, McCain's opponent in the primary race, Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, or go mute when asked whom they support.
A review of McCain's unwavering support for President George Bush's calamitous record as president provides a ready explanation. For, in a nation that has enjoyed a generally proud record of astute administration and judicious leadership through much of its history, Mr. Bush's term in office stands apart as an unhappy episode of partisanship, mismanagement and rigid adherence to ideology. His muddle-headed policies and acerbic style of governance sapped the nation's fiscal strength, undercut its tradition of good government and embroiled Washington D.C. in an unprecedented level of toxic political strife that struck voters as demeaning and unworthy of the national political discourse. Amazingly, Mr. McCain is touting this record of support for Bush's policies at the same time as he touts his fierce independence from them as recommendations for his electability; in fact, his record should be a millstone. Little wonder so many of his more conservative Republican brethren blanch at his Presidential candidacy, which he secured despite their fervent support of practically everyone except Sen. John McCain.