The Absurd Report

Election ‘08: McCain’s victory in Florida and Giuliani’s endorsement give the Arizona senator a commanding lead in the Republican race. But as GOP leaders and the rank and file draw closer to him, will he rejoin his party?

It was thought that John McCain might have trouble in Florida, a state where only registered Republicans can vote. But he beat Mitt Romney by a not inconsequential margin, and Romney must be kicking himself for withdrawing from the South Carolina battlefield early when he might have derailed the so-called “straight-talk express.”

It is said that since the Reagan era, every winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to win the GOP nomination. Unfortunately, McCain is no Reagan.

He is now advancing on the strength of two main issues — his status as a genuine war hero who was right on Iraq, and the fact that surveys say he is the only Republican candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton.

We’re certainly no fans of Hillary, and electability is an important factor in choosing a nominee. But more important is who should be elected.

On most issues (defense and abortion are two big exceptions) McCain is indistinguishable from Hillary, and — if elected — he’s likely to face a Democratic Congress ready to agree with him.

We are concerned — and we think the GOP base should be too — about the ringing endorsement given to McCain by the New York Times. It praised him for “a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation.”

What the Times had in mind is legislation…

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