McCain Sinking

It seems John McCain's tepid attempt to woo the Republican Party base never had much of a chance. The New York Times reports that the money people don't trust him. He was never a very convincing Bible-thumper, either. But I would guess that the single issue that has sent his poll numbersplummeting in places like South Carolina is immigration.

This is all very sad. You may disagree with McCain's position on the war (I do), but he's an essentially honorable man--which is why his attempt to pander to his party's base was so unconvincing--who is paying the price for not kowtowing to military contractors and Mexiphobes, two of the more loathsome fragments of the electorate.

In retrospect, McCain's electoral successes in 2000 came because independents and some Democrats were able to vote for him in crossover primaries like New Hampshire and Michigan. It will be harder for independents and Dems to vote for him this year because of his position on the war, but he remains living proof that centrism doesn't necessarily mean triangulation, that there can be such a thing as a vital center, bristling with fresh ideas--on immigration, on fiscal responsibility, on global warming in his case--free from the base-driven perversions of politics.

PS--I'm back in the middle east. No vacation this time. Not much blogging for the next few weeks, either.