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While Rush and others are running lifelong Republicans out of the conservative movement, I am making a perhaps vein attempt to recognize that although hardly perfect McCain's economic record is infinitely better than his primary rival ( Huckabee) and not bad on the merits. He has not, as another candidate has done, gone through every item on the conservative agenda and reversed his position. He has been a lifelong spending hawk and free trader and has come out with a free market healthcare plan. He voted for the Reagan tax cuts and against the Bush ones. His affection for government regulation is I think entirely misplaced. All that in my book comes out to an A- or so. After being told by social conservatives it was not fair to ask them to compromise principles for the sake of comity within the party, this fiscal conservative is offering her own sense of "good enough." Thompson and Giuliani I would suggest are stronger on this front but I'll have to be convinced McCain is not the most viable alternative to Huckabee at this point.

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