February 7, 2008
The continuing drama of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination should not diminish what John McCain has accomplished on the Republican side of this campaign.
The senator from Arizona still has to finish off the challenges from Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, but after Tuesday's victories in such key states as California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Missouri, and with a commanding lead in delegates, the question is when, not if, he will secure the nomination.
Were it not for the suspense in the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the saga of McCain's eight-month journey from the brink of political bankruptcy last summer to his current supremacy would be the most riveting narrative of the year.
What is more, he has emerged -- despite all the negatives of the George W. Bush legacy -- as a serious possibility to win the presidency in November.
On Super Tuesday, I called a number of knowledgeable Republicans, Democrats and neutral observers to check their appraisals of McCain as a general-election candidate. I found him consolidating support in his own party and being treated with great respect by Democrats.
Arizona's Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, who sees
her home-state senator at close range, said, "He is not to be underestimated."
An Obama supporter, Napolitano said that McCain is "a gifted campaigner with a
great life story. When everything seemed to go wrong for him last year, I told
people, 'Never write John McCain off.' "
Former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt, neutral since John Edwards withdrew from the race, told me that he thought McCain would be "very tough" competition. Don Fowler, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and a Clinton supporter, who saw McCain campaign successfully in his state of South Carolina, said, "He is the best possible candidate for the Republicans by any measure I can see."
No comments:
Post a Comment