The Next New McCain

Wilmington, NC

Well, he's toned it down. And she's toned it down, too. And John McCain is to be congratulated for that--apparently the fact that his rallies were turning into hate-a-thons while his poll numbers dropped caused the good Senator to step back from provocative lines like, "We don't know who Barack Obama really is..." (Crowd response: "He's a terrorist."). Today, he unveiled his new stump speech--and it is not only punchier than his recent efforts, it's also a respectable effort--well within the boundaries of political propriety-- comparing his policies to those of his opponent. (Yesterday, in Ohio, I watched Palin avoid ugliness as well--eschewing her usual red meat ritual of slamming Obama on late-term abortion and instead, beseeching the crowd to "check out [his positions] for yourself.")

This doesn't mean that McCain has suddenly grown wiser. His policy positions, and a few of his distortions, remain the same. He still talks about Obama being prepared to "concede defeat in Iraq." (Palin talks about Obama being unable to use the words "win" or "victory" in Iraq--words that David Petraeus, incidentally, doesn't use either.) But this is a far more worthy speech than McCain has been giving in recent weeks.

If he sticks with it, and the campaign turns around, it will be a victory for civility. If the campaign doesn't turn around--a more likely scenario--McCain will be able to return to the Senate with a few stray threads of dignity intact. We'll see if he sticks with it.