The American Spectator

AmSpecBlog

Rehabilitating McCain

By W. James Antle, III on 2.20.07 @ 10:44AM

Phil Gramm, a true champion of limited government and spending restraint, does his best to make the case for John McCain in 2008. It's worth noting that the formerly more conservative McCain backed Gramm for president in 1996.

This is op-ed is likely part of a larger push to get to the right of Rudy Giuliani, which includes McCain's call for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. It's going to be a tough sell. Gramm correctly notes that rapid rises in federal spending endanger the Bush tax cuts. But he doesn't tell us that McCain voted against those tax cuts, which Gramm sponsored in the Senate in 2001. And while McCain has generally been sound on pork and wasteful spending, he has been much less so on size of government issues generally.

Nevertheless, with Giuliani beginning to open up a significant lead over McCain, emphasizing the Arizona senator's conservative credentials from the past and present is probably at least worth a try.

topics:
John McCain, NATO