The American Spectator

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Identity Smallitics

3.14.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 6)

Sen. McCain is so obviously ego driven and arrogant, that a roll out, such as you quite rightly suggest, would seem phoney in the extreme. McCain is, I believe, incapable of touting any true conservative in a way that is believable, honesty-wise. I can not bring myself to believe that McCain will accept anyone other than a complete toady, a rump swab, as his Veep. That is why I can not see him picking Romney. We have seen how McCain acts when he dislikes anyone. Ask Rumsfeld. Ask Boeing. Ask Sen. Cornyn. He seems to have a tendency not to just dislike anyone, but to well and truly hate them.

Two jobs that I believe will be figureheads in a Pres. McCain administration will be Veep and Sec. Def. The Veep will NOT be a trusted, close advisor, as Cheney is to Bush, but an appendage, an after thought, as Alban Barkley or Harry Truman were to FDR. Course we all surely know that McCain will truly be his own Sec. Def., since he seems to think himself the second coming of Clauswitz or Sun Tzu.

I believe that Sen. Lieberman will be offered the job of Sec. of State. It remains to be seen whether Lieberman is fed up with the Senate and ready to join a McCain cabinet for a real and powerful job or not. I believe that Sen. Lindsey Graham will be offered Atty. Gen., and when it comes up, the first Supreme Court vacancy under a Pres. McCain, and he will accept either or both. The nation's Intel Czar, Homeland Security Sec., and CIA head will all be part time jobs because McCain seems to think that he knows all there is to know in these areas also.

But hey, what do I know.
-- Ken Shreve

Quin Hillyer replies:
I thank Mr. Shreve for his nice letter. I would say that it will make a tremendous practical difference who McCain chooses, for one main reason: because Republican voters seem determined to choose as their nominee the person who is "next in line." If McCain chooses a solid conservative such as Chris Cox or Paul Ryan, that will put Cox or Ryan "next in line" four or eight years hence, and thus restore a true Reaganite to the top of the ticket for the first time since 1984.

With regard to Mr. Harolds' thoughtful letter, I would say that he makes a lot of sense. But I would also say that somebody on the periphery of the Bush administration, as head of an independent agency -- such as Cox -- does not carry the same close association with the president as close aides do, and thus does not suffer the same political drawbacks. As for carrying a particular state, I do not think anybody can guarantee that, but I do think it helps if the Veep choice can help McCain be competitive somewhere where he otherwise would not be. Cox helps in both Minnesota and California, and Portman in Ohio. Whether they do enough to carry an extra state, nobody knows -- but just by being competitive, they force the opponents to waste time and resources defending the state.

SPOILER SPORT
Re: W. James Antle III's Third Wheels:

In "Third Wheels," W. James Antle III writes an incomplete and puzzling "analysis" of current American Third Parties in a bald attempt to discredit these options as not consonant with "political reality." The fact is, there are over thirty American Third Parties today each one of which is a legitimate outlet for those who choose to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right of free association. Until such time as the representatives of the two-party cartel succeed in eliminating this right altogether. Sadly, I may live to see that day.

Mr. Antle presents a sneering piece that attempts to lambaste that large number of disaffected and recalcitrant ex-Republicans who won't vote for his man. Instead, he should consider that the development of the "two party system" is an historical anomaly, not a governmental structure ensconced in the U.S. Constitution. I chalk his diatribe up to the confusion all "conservative" Republicans must feel today when confronted with the "political reality" of rationalizing their likely votes for McCain, knowing full well that the guy doesn't represent their views in any meaningful way. Throughout my political experience, for over thirty years, I have been hectored by Republicans to vote for their slate of candidates as the "lesser of two evils." Yet, having done so, I find we are closer to the creation of an outright socialist state than ever before. I will not participate in this charade any longer. As for me, I will vote for that candidate that most closely reflects my views. And McCain ain't it.
-- Harry Hill

W. James Antle mentions Pat Buchanan, and in the process seems to implicate Ross Perot, of all people, in a conspiracy to keep Buchanan off the Reform Party ticket in 2000.

Mr. Antle might (or might not) be surprised at the following from Mr. Buchanan's latest column:

"Hillary won Ohio denouncing the NAFTA deal Bill Clinton cut. The lady gets it. McCain remains a loyal NAFTA man. Good luck in Ohio and Michigan."

Obviously this is an overt endorsement of Hillary. Given Mr. Antle's previous warm friendship with Mr. Buchanan, I wonder if Mr. Antle will follow suit. I can just see it: "The Conservative Case for Hillary Rodham Clinton," by W. James Antle III Esquire. Heck, Ann Coulter did it!

Thank God I'm no longer a conservative!
-- Daniel K. Weir

The piece on third parties was amusing.

Letter to the Editor

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