Conservatives and McCain

Let me explain why I have such reservations about Mr. McCain.

1) He is not a conservative. He may be hawkish, on the war against terror and Iraq, and he has been consistently pro-life, but these two positions alone do not make him a conservative. Conservatives stand on principle first and then shape their political views based on these guiding principles. John McCain, based on several pieces of legislation, does not have conservative principles guiding him, and in fact quite often McCain seems side more often with the mainstream media and the editorial board of the NY Times, hardly bastions of conservative thought.

2) McCain has consistenlty and purposfully stuck his finger in the eye of Republicans time and time again. He often uses similar rhetoric to that of liberals when he defends his positions. As he has galavanted around the Hill brandishing his Maverick label, he has angered many in the Republican leadership. We conservatives have watched him and quite frankly are sick of his antics.

Now that his assension to the nomination is all but assured, he is now trying to mend fences. He now is starting to claim that he is a conservative. He keeps saying that he was a foot solider in the Regan revolution. Please. I doubt that any true conservative would have seriously considered switching to the Democratic Party, the way McCain did. I doubt that any true conservative, in the mold of Ronald Reagan, would have seriously toyed with the idea of crossing party lines and ran as John Kerry's running mate in the the 2004 Presidental election, the way McCain did.

Now I am hearing from some people that I once respected say that McCain is a Conservative. Please. Stop trying to convince me. I will never believe it. McCain needs to go past idol words before I will believe that he has seen the Conservative light.

My choices this fall will consist of one of two socialists, versus a RHINO. My first inclination is to just sit out this election and let the chips fall where they may. I doubt in the end I will do that, and while holding my nose, vote for Mr. McCain.

I doubt though it will do any good. The Republican Party has done this to itself. It abandoned Conservative principles, spent like democrats, expanded the size of government, and then lost control of both houses. Now the party is on the verge of losing the White House as well. Not because the country has become more liberal, but because the Republican leadership has abandoned Conservatives, and demoralized its base, leaving us with little motivation to get out and vote.