Rich Lowry looks at a poll showing John McCain beating Barack
Obama 51-36 in terms of his "ability to manage the Iraq war" and
writes, "This shows that the
success of the surge is probably helping McCain, which makes sense:
1) It vindicates his judgment; 2) the better conditions are, the
more likely it is that we can keep drawing down responsibly, thus
removing the sting of the '100 years in Iraq' charge." Maybe,
especially on the second point. But McCain's military service,
foreign-policy experience, and perceived independence from Bush may
all have something to do with it too. Remember: McCain beat Ron Paul among antiwar voters
in the New Hampshire primary and otherwise did well among
independents and Republicans who are against the war. I'm willing
to guess that they weren't, in the main, voting for him because of
his position on the surge.
topics:
John McCain, Military, Iraq
