Rudy Is Toast

How's that for a bold prediction? Seriously, I think Mark Steyn had it exactly wrong this afternoon, when he wrote:

A McCain victory in SC has to be good news for Giuliani because the narrative becomes "Stop McCain!" and Rudy's best poised to do that - not just because his numbers in Florida haven't yet collapsed to the same undetectable levels as they have everywhere else, but because Huck and Mitt and Fred will be fairly proven failures at the "Stop McCain" game. So, if stopping him's your priority, then Rudy's the one-stop shop after everyone's stopped shopping around. He'll be the last ABM (Anyone-But-McCain) in with a shot.

A Huck victory in SC, by contrast, keeps the other fellows alive, which makes it more likely that the attrition in Rudy numbers will continue.

If Romney hadn't won Michigan, I could almost imagine something like this happening. (Indeed, I did imagine it, back when it looked like Romney might flame out early.) But with his "three golds and two silvers" and his delegate lead, Romney still looks sufficiently viable that he, not Rudy, is shaping up to be the natural "stop McCain" candidate in Florida for movement conservatives who can't stand the Arizona Senator. Moreover, everything we've seen so far suggests that Giuliani and McCain are competing for a similar demographic within the GOP primary electorate, and I expect that whatever momentum McCain gets from South Carolina will win him more Floridian votes at Rudy's expense than at Romney's or Huckabee's. Which will make the Sunshine State - and the primaries beyond - essentially a two-man McCain-Romney race, with Huck playing spoiler and Giuliani dropping out of sight.

Comments

Make him a waffle instead. He deserves to be crushed between hot grilled plates.

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | January 19, 2008 10:30 PM

I really can't believe that Rudy flamed out so spectacularly. I expected him to win it or at least be a formidable candidate. But what - one little mistress
scandal, a surge that worked enough to mute media coverage (if not achieve anything, really), and poof! he
just ... evaporated.

TPM's been covering it a lot, too. I have to say I didn't see that coming. And to watch his incredible drum beat of ads with the 9-11 Tourettes ramping up to a bona fide obsession, he's on the verge of mental illness at this point. I could read a book on his flameout at this point, I'm so fascinated.

Posted by isis | January 19, 2008 10:57 PM

Someone else put it well: you can't keep making excuses about how every single state isn't important, or doesn't have real Republicans and expect to be taken seriously as a contender. A contender contests everything: plays to win everywhere. I'm sure Giuliani's strategy sounded devious and savvy when it was pitched to him by some campaign aide looking over the budget. But in practice, it just looks like he isn't really trying, and that hurts: it hurts big time.

Posted by Bad | January 19, 2008 10:59 PM

It didn't look to me like he wasn't trying - that slot was filled by Thompson - to me, Rudy seemed overconfident. "I'll lose five primaries, have no media presence, and THEN I'll come out of nowhere to snatch the big win away from them all! Ha ha!"

His 9/11 monomania meshes with this overconfidence: "I"m America's Mayor. They'll remember that when the FL primary comes."

That's how it seemed to me, at least.

Posted by whippet | January 19, 2008 11:03 PM

Limbaugh is toast: better than 75% of the voters voted for McCain and Huckabee, despite Limbaugh's daily tirades. Talk Radio has again shown that it has absolutely no effect on the outcome of any election, anywhere, at the state or national level. Naturally Dick Cheney will continue to show his support for Rush by making one of his regular post-election calls, asking all dittoheads to stick together and keep their heads in the sand, cementing the widespread opinion that the GOP is the home of racists and war profiteers.

Posted by fougasseu | January 19, 2008 11:48 PM

I'm starting to grasp and enjoy your style, fougasseu.

As for Rudy's fall, I'm betting he can get even lower than using scenes of 9/11 carnage in his ads. Here's his next fundraising pitch:

"Friends! We need your help, and if you help us you can own a piece of history!

$500 Donation - America's Mayor will send you a personalized photo of himself as he sheds real tears at Ground Zero.

$750 Donation - Same as above, but with a real tear attached in a small airtight vial.

$1000 Donation - Small article of clothing recovered from Ground Zero in the dark days following 9/11.

$2000 Donation - Same as above, but with a still-pungent aroma of burning meat.

$5000 Donation - Genuine bonechip recovered from Ground Zero in the dark days following 9/11.

Cash Preferred. God Bless America!"

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | January 20, 2008 12:14 AM

That's about how I figure it. It's amazing how they let their personal dislike of McCain affect their calculus, he's quite conservative, he's the most hawkish guy in politics, and he's the strongest candidate in November.

Posted by aleks | January 20, 2008 12:50 AM

I agree.

Canadian pundits, Mark Steyn and David Frum, might as well kiss their cushy government jobs south of the border goodbye.

Remember David Frum thought Bush was "The Right Man."

Posted by Rob | January 20, 2008 2:12 AM

Mark Steyn seems remarkably clueless about Republican politics or perhaps he confuses the thought patterns of parts of the establishment with the rank and file. Ross is right on this one, it seems to me.

One point to add is that it looks like Thompson will drop out which is not likely to help Giuliani at all since Thompson's supporters are likely (a) conservatives rather than moderates, (b) more likely to be from Northern Florida, (c) not voting pimarily on national security issues. I can see significant numbers of Thompson voters going to Romney, McCain or Huckabee before Giuliani.

Unless McCain wins big in Florida and solidifies his lead in the national polls as a result, Super Tuesday should be very, very interesting.

Posted by ikl | January 20, 2008 2:22 AM

ik1:

You have previously given far too much credit to the former deejay turned expert on all affairs/ Conrad Black shill. The emperor really is wearing no clothes as you have correctly identified...

Posted by Rob | January 20, 2008 2:33 AM

Really, the primary thing that McCain has to accomplish in Florida (maybe even more important than winning the state himself) is to crush Giuliani and drive him out of the race before Super Tuesday. All those delegates in New York and New Jersey (both of which vote on Super Tuesday) are there for the taking for McCain, if only Giuliani wasn't running. (Not to mention the social moderate / national security "toughness" vote that Giuliani would be draining from McCain all across the country.)

Assuming Giuliani prefers McCain as nominee over Romney (which I assume he does), he really should drop out of the race after losing Florida, as it means handing the nomination to McCain.

Posted by Chris S. | January 20, 2008 3:46 AM

Voters run from Rudy once they get to see the obvious.....this guy is creepy

Posted by Dave Wilde | January 20, 2008 5:58 AM

Question: Why with 1191 delegates needed for the nomination and no candidates close to triple digits is Rudy finished?

As a Giuliani supporter I haven't second-guessed his campaign's strategy of pretty much ignoring everything before Florida. And I won't.

The Iowa/New Hampshire obsession is absurd(yes, I'm biased because my man was a nonentity, but why does this idiocy persist? What is a "caucas"? Is it true that there is no secret ballot, only a show of hands?)

Giuliani's only miscalculation was his ignoring of the media-driven frenzy over these early primaries and how their results are perceived/presented.

If he survives and Rudy wins in Florida it's over.

And please, even if I'm wrong or right, and your Republican wins or loses, don't stay home in November. None of us wants to hear the words "Madame President"

Posted by viking10475 | January 20, 2008 8:20 AM

Why with 1191 delegates needed for the nomination and no candidates close to triple digits is Rudy finished?

Because when a high-profile candidate consistently shows in the 2-3% range, that is a rejection by the voters, not simply an expectedly low result of minimal campaigning.

The Iowa/New Hampshire obsession is absurd

At this point, it is IA, NH, SC, MI (not a small state), all of which are essentially vote-driven (IA is nominally a caucus, but more closely resembles a traditional vote on the GOP side). NV and WY, which are more traditional caucuses, have been little-noted.

Giuliani's only miscalculation was his ignoring of the media-driven frenzy over these early primaries and how their results are perceived/presented.

Considering this is a well known and decades old phenomenon, that is a pretty grave "miscalculation." I'd suggest it is something more like a "blunder."

If he survives and Rudy wins in Florida it's over.
That's a pretty huge "if," but if Mayor 911 wins Florida, becoming the fourth person to win a state, I'd say he becomes viable again, and the chance of a brokered convention also rises somewhat. But it would be very, very far from a done deal.

Posted by Brad L | January 20, 2008 8:41 AM

If Mayor 911 wins Florida the score will be Romney-59, Giuliani-58. Big ones coming up next on the schedule: CA, NJ, NY, PA. McCain hysteria is done, most go to Rudy.

Posted by viking10475 | January 20, 2008 9:18 AM

Big ones coming up next on the schedule: CA, NJ, NY, PA. McCain hysteria is done, most go to Rudy.

There are 22 primaries coming up on 2/5 (including CA, NJ and NY, but not PA, which is in April). NY is a big plum, no doubt. NJ has almost the exact same number of delegates as AZ, also on 2/5, also WTA, and less than GA, MO, IL, and barely more than AL, all of whom have some sort of modified proportionality, which augers well for John "33%" McCain, and Huckabee in the southern states. (AR and MA also have contests that day, so it's not like anyone is likely to be shut out. Heck, TN is that day too, so it's conceivable Fred Thompson might even score a win.)

CA is WTA by district, but I'm not really sure Rudy has a natural advantage here.

This race has been fascinating, and if Rudy wins Florida, it gets more complex, not simpler.

Posted by Brad L | January 20, 2008 9:36 AM

What in the world makes these 9ui11ani groupies think the slug still has a shot? He's out of cash, he's alienated his own staff by refusing to dip into his own slime-filled pockets to pay them, he's lost half of his support in the national polls, he's a lousy campaigner, and he has the personal warmth of a scorpion. Ron Paul has almost doubled his vote total so far, the corpse of Fred Thompson is throttling him, and his campaign has been only marginally more successful than those of Tom Tanqueray and Hunter Duncan and Sam Brownshirt.

I suppose it's a function of how weak the Repiglican field is this year and how pathetic their chance of victory in November is. Most Republicans I know personally cringe when asked about the performance of their party during Dumbya's parade of idiocy.

So just accept the vicious beating you're going to get in November and hope Rudy invites you to his 4th wedding.

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | January 20, 2008 10:01 AM

Wishful thinking on your behalf. Come Jan 30th everyone will be calling Rudy the comeback kid as he takes first place. He'll also have the momentum gioing into Super Tuesday. You however will be very bust eating crow & humble pie. Bon apetite!

Posted by Boyer Coe | January 20, 2008 10:10 AM

Boyer Coe has a rich fantasy life: "Wishful thinking on your behalf. Come Jan 30th everyone will be calling Rudy the comeback kid as he takes first place. He'll also have the momentum gioing into Super Tuesday. You however will be very bust eating crow & humble pie. Bon apetite!"

No one will be calling Rudy anything but "that creepy asshole" once his nothing campaign is mercifully flushed back down the toilet it crawled out of.

But thanks for your insight, Mr. Kerik.

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | January 20, 2008 10:17 AM

If that scenario were likely, you'd expect to see Rudy running high in Florida. Instead, his numbers have been steadily dropping from his previous high from a few months ago, and it looks like they drop more and more with every dismal showing elsewhere. Once you lose support like that, and so dramatically, you rarely get it back.

Posted by Bad | January 20, 2008 10:23 AM

fougasseu comments:

"Naturally Dick Cheney will continue to show his support for Rush by making one of his regular post-election calls, asking all dittoheads to stick together and keep their heads in the sand, cementing the widespread opinion that the GOP is the home of racists and war profiteers."

You mean there's a bunch of lefties out there - principled, independent thinkers all - who are thinking to themselves: "Ya know, I'm not certain, but I'm starting to suspect that the GOP is the home of racists and war profiteers."

Anf then Dick Cheney calls in to Limbaugh's radio show, and they all conclude: "That does it, they ARE a bunch of racists and war profiteers!"

Makes sense to me.

fougasseu, it is unjust that you are still an Adjuct. Give this man tenure, I say.

Posted by Brian | January 20, 2008 10:34 AM

GO RUDY!

By 2/5, all the FredHeads will have to be satisfied with is "Law and Order" reruns. That's the only place they'll see him on TV. Huckabee is already kissing up to McCain. He's done. I don't see Romney overcoming the "Mormonism is a cult" mindset down south. That leaves McCain, and as you mockingly called him, "Mayor 911" to battle it out. O yes, I forgot about Ron Paul. Or is it Pat Paulsen? They look alike.

Posted by viking10475 | January 20, 2008 10:43 AM

This site is filled with Dems who know that Rudy is their biggest nightmare against Obillary in the GE. Rudy, personal warts and all, is the only real leader who represents the social positions of the true "moral majority" of Americans, true fiscal conservatism and stimulus ideas at a time where our economy requires more Reagan and less Clinton, strength of the rule of law and realism about the concepts that freedom is never free, must be defended, and must be logically franchised to those who immigrate legally.

Remember – This is the same media engine that was calling for McCain to fold his hand within 24 hours just 4 months ago.

The other Pubs all have tremendous holes in their swing that Dems will exploit in the GE - Rudy is a Dems biggest nightmare in the GE...and it is very smart to attempt to capitalize on the timing and the Napoleonic emotions of 5 states that represent less than 5% of the American voting population to knock Rudy out.

It is my understanding that The Electoral College will still elect the next President. If you wait to take your reality check after Florida, you will see that Rudy is playing the process the right way. This next week is going to be quite interesting.

A response to one of the many boneheaded comments above: Why would any thinking person state that dipping into their personal fortune to fund their campaign and pay staff is a show of strength and electability? Who in modern national American politics has won with this strategy? Kerry, Forbes, Perot, Romney, etc. – get the point?

Posted by Get a life | January 20, 2008 11:46 AM

I'm another Rudy supporter, and refuse to believe that the GOP will nominate McCain, Mitt, or Huck, who all enter Florida severely weakened candidates.

Sure McCain won SC, but by a very slim plurality, just barely beating the Huckster.

Rudy towers over the other candidates. Let's hold off until FL and then we'll see where we are.

If Rudy wins FL by 10%, then what will people say?

Posted by Kevin | January 20, 2008 1:44 PM

Judy & Rudy vs. Billy & Hillary...and "Get a life" thinks Rudy is "the biggest nightmare against Obillary"? Family is a multi-dimensional factor in every election: how long they've been married, have they been divorced, relationship w/ children, how will the candidate's wife perform as a First Lady, and on and on. And you believe America will put Judy & Rudy in the White House? Rudy Giuliani has the worst "family" profile of any serious candidate in recent memory. And he's going to be the nominee of the "family values" party? Where is James Dobson when you need him?

Posted by fougasseu | January 20, 2008 1:46 PM

Judy & Rudy vs. Billy & Hillary...and "Get a life" thinks Rudy is "the biggest nightmare against Obillary"? Family is a multi-dimensional factor in every election: how long they've been married, have they been divorced, relationship w/ children, how will the candidate's wife perform as a First Lady, and on and on. And you believe America will put Judy & Rudy in the White House? Rudy Giuliani has the worst "family" profile of any serious candidate in recent memory. And he's going to be the nominee of the "family values" party? Where is James Dobson when you need him?

Posted by fougasseu | January 20, 2008 1:47 PM

Isis -- I'm in total agreement with you: Rudy's fall has been fascinating.

The two things I can't get over:

1) After consistently polling highest among the republicans for ALL of 2007, how has that resulted in votes in the 2-9% range in EVERY single primary/caucus thus far? I don't care what he's spinning as his lack of presence -- nobody gets that low with that kind of voter recognition from lack of presence alone. Especially when the truth is, Rudy did spend a considerable amount of time campaigning in all those places with the exceptions of Nevada and Wyoming (his campaign spin aside). And what's more, he was actually popular in some of those places. So why the dramatic fall? I think it has to do with something else, and Rudy's campaign staff sniffed it out when they visited, so decided to do this "Florida is Rudy Country" spin.

2)My other question is why Rudy and his staff thought ignoring the voters wouldn't hurt them or why losing in six states in a row so dramatically wouldn't dent their chances in Florida. They must know it does, no matter what they say.

And why don't people think about how such risk-taking behavior on Rudy's part here shows bad campaign managment which doesn't bode well for his presidential abilities?

Posted by shalala | January 20, 2008 2:36 PM

Speaking as a Democrat, I want the Republican primary struggle to be as long, bitter and draining as possible, so LETS GO RUDY!!
I actually would like to see his strategy work, as I hate the Iowa and NH must be first BS, but to be honest, it doesn't seem to be working.

Posted by stonetools | January 20, 2008 4:00 PM

Mark Steyn is right! The only one that will stop McCain is Rudy. By the time Rommeny supporters figure it out after Super Tuesday it will be too late. Don't be fooled Rudy is a conservative candidate. Read the facts:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/rudy_giuliani_should_be_gop_no.html

Please people of Florida vote for Rudy. Don't wait do it today. The polls are open now!

Posted by Tim | January 20, 2008 4:11 PM

For those of you who support McCain due to his foreign policy credentials, please read a piece written by Mitt Romney in the summer of 2007 with an open mind.

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86402-p0/mitt-romney/rising-to-a-new-generation-of-global-challenges.html

Though Mitt does not have a long list of foreign policy credentials, He DOES demonstrate a sound understanding of how MANY other domestic and foreign factors all play together to optimize foreign policy, something many individuals with a lifetime of foreign policy experience fail to grasp.

In this article, he not only shows a strong understanding of history and what it has taught, he was also able to show application of these principles to our current situation, not just in vague generalities, but in terms of specific policy plans.

Though he may not know specifics of military lingo like McCain, In my opinion, he will make a BETTER executive of our foreign policy because he understands more than any other candidate HOW this policy isn’t merely a single chess piece, but rather interacts with so many other pieces for an even larger goal.

If Romney is elected, he won’t merely be puppeting advice from his advisors on key issues with which he hasn’t spent a lifetime studying (which McCain would likely be doing on the economy and Huckabee on foreign policy) but will rather be analyzing the data to come up with the decision that is most likely to be of most benefit for America.

Mitt can and will turnaround America, in particular, Washington.

Posted by Samuel | January 20, 2008 6:25 PM

As to how John McCain is a front-runner when his base consists of Independents and Democrats, I'll never know. Funny what happens to him in states with closed primaries... (i.e. Wyoming and Nevada--funny how he doesn't even try to compete in them). McCain has back-stabbed Republicans enough. With Romney now pulling into a 3-way tie with Giuliani and McCain, I see him winning Florida.

Fred Thompson's departure will leave an untapped resource of full-spectrum conservatives available for the taking, and frankly, Romney is the only one who fits the bill.

John McCain is an absolute sell-out. I will NEVER support that excuse of a Republican. No man who attempts to sell my nation down the river with his open borders amnesty nonsense will ever receive my vote, my dollar, or my kind words. Lest we forget he attempted to give these illegal social security benefits for work done illegally here, as well. Tack onto that his feelings about Gitmo (national security? yeah right) and you have a failure of a conservative.

Giuliani is just allright. I prefer him to McCain. But the man has been regularly defeated by Ron Paul across the country. My hope is that he holds enough of South Florida's vote to cut into McCain's liberal base so that Romney wins Central Florida and the election.

Posted by CMartel2 | January 20, 2008 6:35 PM

paul is polling ahead of guiliani nationally and has fared better in the already held primaries. rudy has no appeal in the south. none zip nada zero. he'll get less than ten percent in florida, consistent with his current poll numbers there.

Posted by english teacher | January 20, 2008 7:08 PM

Can you lose to Ron Paul a couple few times and still take Florida? I think not. I believe the ONLY candidate who has not lost to Paul is Romney.

Posted by liz | January 21, 2008 12:48 AM

I actually have been arguing that Rudy was done weeks ago...

When you are consistently winning only 2-9% of the vote in these primaries and showing no signs of gaining momentum with a seemingly insane campaign strategy that is telegraphed to depend on a single state, you are likely heading nowhere except for an early exit!

I really think that infamous footage of Giuliani attempting to embarass (then nobody) Ron Paul hurt him badly... When one tries to make a fool out of a honest man invariably there seems to be a cost.

Posted by RAM | January 21, 2008 2:49 AM

The Congressional Watchdog, "On the Issues,"

rates McCain several percentages to the right of the Republican average. I'm sick and tired of all your hateful self-serving slanders. How did he get such a conservative score? By chopping spending for earmarks and pork up the ying yang, which a corrupt Tom Delay crowd voted for themselves. The true Conservative looks higher than that, to the real heritage of love of country more than selfish carpetbaggers. In 2005, the Eisenhower Institute gave McCain the Eisenhower Prize for Integrity & Leadership for a reason - he really is like Ike. And he has a few things in common with Winston Churchill as well. Eagleberger, Kissinger, Schlesinger, Schulz, McFarlane, & over 100 top generals and admirals all know his expertise on military matters: not only is McCain a true conservative, but he'll defend your butt from being toasted by al queda any minute now.

Posted by Highlander | January 21, 2008 4:13 AM

That leaves McCain, and as you mockingly called him, "Mayor 911" to battle it out.

Then it should be rather bracing to note that, as the Ruffini article in the post above this one shows, that with over 1.5 million votes cast in 5 very different states, Rudy has managed to parlay his name recognition and early front-runner status into a grand total of 60,000 votes (beating 4th-runner Fred Thompson in only one state). If you support this candidate, there is no way to slice this that isn't deeply alarming.

Posted by Brad L | January 21, 2008 10:24 AM

Mitt Romney is by far the msot qualified candidate and is the only one who has a resume to back up his platform.

McCain is a grumpy, tired old "go-with-the-flow" Washington beaurocrat with a stale, sour cynical personality.

Huckabee is a "flash in the pan". His platform of "religion" is foolish and will never get him anywhere. Huck is toast.

Rudy's arrogant stategy of ignoring all of the early primaries and banking on victory in FLorida isn't going to pan out, and he'll evaporate into nothing after Jan. 29. Besides, he's a liberal drag queen.

Fred Thompson is too lazy and way to ugly to get elected. He was a deadbeat senator and is trying to use his Hollywood "charisma" coupled with a generic platform to get votes, and it won't work.

Ron Paul is unelectable and needs to get out of the way.

Posted by HT Springer | January 21, 2008 5:20 PM

Mitt Romney is philosophically similar and ethically identical to Al Checchi, the masterful corporate raider who tried to buy California, and failed. He has every GOP Washington Insider working for him, and the three architects of Bush's tax policy work for him. Romney is running for Bush's third term.
If Judy & Rudy fail in Florida, McCain will be unstoppable.

Posted by fougasseu | January 21, 2008 8:03 PM

fougasseu-

Your attack is so over-run with common fallacies I had to chuckle. You start with a classic straw man. Rather than attack Mitt directly, you say he's just like some other person (that we all accept is despicable) and thus plant all of that persons negative traits on Mitt w/o proving Mitt has any such philosophies or ethical tendencies. Then, you distract from the discussion w/a red herring, claiming that his campaign is over-run w/DC insiders (though you give no evidence whatever to support your assertion). Finally, you revert back to the straw man approach, pointing out the unpopular Bush's policies and claiming Romney is identical to Bush and therefore if we don't like Bush's policies, we can't like Romney.

Your post has exactly zero substance. Next time you decide to critique someone on the basis of philosophy and/or ethics, learn the basics of honest argumentation.

Posted by Slick-Willy | January 22, 2008 5:13 AM

Unlike many Mitt supporters, I find other candidates acceptable.

Fred & Rudy are both excellent on nearly all conservative policy. Both embrace supply-side economics and both seem to have some understanding of how it works. Both follow Reagenesque foreign policy. Both are strong men that I believe would not likely fold under pressure.

However, Fred simply can't get support. He is a great man that I could easily vote for, but he simply has no shot at the nomination. Despite Rudy's virtues, I'm uneasy w/his track record in his personal life and regarding his scandals. Also, I prefer a pro-life candidate. That said, I could easily vote for either of them.

I plan to vote for Mitt because I believe he has most of the positive attributes Fred & Rudy possess, and avoids their glaring weaknesses. He works extremely hard, has the right policies, is the most competent executive running and has no scandals.

Moreover, the evidence to date indicates that he's the most likely to beat McCain (unacceptable) in Florida and nationally.

Posted by Slick-Willy | January 22, 2008 5:28 AM

I am thrilled that the conservative base of the Republican party is seeing the light. We need a nominee who isn't another Democrat. We need a nominee who will fight for the same values and beliefs that we have. We need a nominee without baggage, who has a family who adores him and a wife who will be his greatest strength. We need a leader who is extremely smart, who can write his own speeches, and who will work like a crazy man to get this nation put back together again. We have to have someone who believes in God, and that there is a greater purpose at stake here. It's time to rally around Mitt Romney, and win in Florida by a landslide!

Posted by Ruthie | January 22, 2008 5:03 PM

Romney will be the last man standing. He is what America needs. I know this might sound weird because not to many people could do this is Romney is not taking the pay for two years. If someone doesn't need the money then his heart is in the fix. He didn't take a dime in Mass.,he was governing that state. You need to look at that record along with Bain Capital, the Olympics. There one thing he never talks about and that is his education He has a law degree and an MBA all from Harvard and he was in the top one precent of the class. He is not a snood he is a leader. Education at this level matters. You can compare him to both sides of presidential campaign. You have the democrats that sound like second graders fighting over who is more popular minus John Edwards I'll give him credit. Mitt Romney is well versed in every angle and he always brings the greatest minds together to solve problems with the ultimate decision rest in his hand. Sen. Mac has beed in Washington to long they should have a statue of him. He has never ran anything. Congressmen and Senators statistically don't make good President.

Posted by Rodney mattson | January 22, 2008 5:07 PM

While McCain occasionally wanders off the reservation, he has an impressive lifetime rating from the Conservative Union of 82.3%.

McCain’s greatest appeal is his genuine integrity. He stuck by his unpopular view of the Iraq War during the nadir of the war, just as he held to an unpopular position on immigration.

Brett Stephen in a WSJ article today American Honor , argues that a McCain candidacy would be fundamentally about whether we should persevere in Iraq and win a victory with honor or follow the Democratic line of a precipitous withdrawal. He ends the article as follows:

These are some of the practical and ethical arguments for seeing the Iraq war through to a decent conclusion. But honor is a different, deeper matter. For the Democratic candidates in this race, it has only a conditional and tenuous relation to the word “victory” in its usual sense. If it means anything at all to them, it seems to be mainly in the sense of the good opinion of America’s traditional friends, many of whom opposed the Iraq venture from the start. This kind of honor, also known as ingratiation, is gained by improving America’s poll numbers in global opinion surveys.

There is another kind of honor, however, which is uniquely bestowed by one’s adversaries and enemies. It is the honor one acquires by defying temptations of popularity, by the acceptance of long odds, by suffering, by what is called the nobility of the last-ditch defense. It is the honor many Americans feel they lost in Vietnam, and which, through Mr. McCain’s not-so-improbable resurgence, they now seek to regain and make their own.

In my view in a national election McCain could decisively win on the issue of American honor alone.

Posted by Peter Leavitt | January 22, 2008 5:39 PM

I agree that Mitt Romney will be the next President of the USA. He is honest and smart. Even my niece and nephews from Cambridge, MASS know his family and like them.

Posted by lynn | January 22, 2008 6:13 PM

I have really been impressed with Mitt Romney, he's got a great family, that says a lot right there. NO divorces, no scandals, just good clean fresh air...not to mention, he's a conservative. McCain and Rudy Giuliani can't hide from their liberal roots.

Posted by plethora | January 24, 2008 1:07 AM