The McCain Mutiny

The NY Times reminds us today that McCain is still not trusted by conservatives because of his whole Gang of 14 play in the Senate which denied an up or down vote on many of Bush’s conservative justices.

As Rush Limbaugh said today, its just great when the NY Times relishes telling us what’s wrong with the candidate that they picked for us.

Otherwise, the article does a fairly decent job of summerizing a key reason conservatives dislike McCain. It also serves as a reason we are not moved by the idea of McCain appointing many conservative justices. Why should we believe he will get any different treatment from the Democrats in the Senate than he engineered for President Bush?

If he’s so dedicated to appointing conservative justices, where was his dedication to fighting for them a couple of years ago? Why did he instead, cut a deal?

Noteworthy excerpts:

Now Mr. McCain’s central role in that effort, which cleared the way for confirmation of some conservative jurists, is cited as one reason for lingering distrust of him among many conservatives. The power to appoint federal judges is seen as one of the most crucial presidential roles by many on the right, and some continue to believe the agreement undermined the Republican leadership at the precise moment the party was about to eliminate the ability to use procedural tactics to block judges.

James C. Dobson, an influential conservative leader, noted Mr. McCain’s role in the bipartisan Gang of 14 in his announcement that he could not support the lawmaker as the Republican nominee under any circumstances. Other conservatives still resent it as well.

and this:

The Gang of 14 is hardly the only point of contention between Mr. McCain and some conservative factions. His signature issue, campaign finance reform, is anathema to many conservatives, as was his push for comprehensive immigration legislation. Some conservatives say his role in brokering the judicial compromise may rank behind those two in generating right-flank ire and is fading as an issue.

But to others, it remains a telling moment for Mr. McCain, who has been a supporter of Republican judicial choices but has not typically been a central player in the nomination fights.

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