Where's the Real McCain?
But where can McCain himself go now? He's flanked on the right on almost every issue by his GOP opponents. Even on national security—and the matter of how to handle terrorists, and torture. Front-runner Rudy Giuliani is pitching himself as the tough guy. Old buddy Fred Thompson is ready to run against McCain on immigration. And Mitt Romney is on the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire positioning himself as the conservative Real Deal. McCain needs to take on all three, establish his credentials for governing, and get on with it. Or get off the bus.
It's not a good sign that it took his wife, a Senate confidant, and top fundraisers to persuade him to change his campaign. (Or did he always know and not pay attention?) And now, what's left of the campaign is reduced to these talking points: "Why can't McCain start over now?" asks strategist Charlie Black. "If people in the political community assume Fred Thompson can start a campaign now, why not McCain?" Maybe it's because McCain has been running for the past eight years, and there's not much to show for it. No bucks in the bank, no clear message. Just a long road to Iowa and New Hampshire.
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