Comeback curmudgeon surges

Last August, Republican presidential candidate John McCain seemed a goner as a viable contender for his party’s nomination. His campaign was collapsing around him. Top staffers were resigning right and left, offices were being shut down, and his once-solvent campaign account was nearly empty.

To add insult to injury, the former Navy fighter pilot, renowned Vietnam War POW, and Arizona U.S. Senator managed to finish a dismal 10th out of 11 candidates in the Iowa GOP presidential straw poll. Meanwhile, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished first, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Since the dog days of August, Sen. McCain has gone from down and out to up and running. His former foes from the Republican race have gone from front-runners to footnotes, and most have endorsed him as the Republican nominee. Technically, he is the ‘presumptive Republican nominee.’ Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be formally nominated at the Republican Convention.

So far, the ‘comeback curmudgeon’ is coming on strong in the polls, even as Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to carve each other up in their battle for the Democratic nomination.

However, McCain has many mountains to climb before the only polls that count occur in November, 2008. First, he has to unify a flawed and fractured Republican party that appears to be losing ground on several important political fronts, including party loyalty, campaign contributions and voter turnout.

Unifying the Republican Party will be a Herculean task, even for a tried and true warrior like McCain. Right-wing nuts, sectarian and secular, are livid over McCain’s ‘suspect credentials as a conservative.’ They need a strong dose of reality to refute their rhetoric.

‘John McCain is a hard-core conservative 85 percent of the time. He’s more conservative than the sitting president,’ said McCain supporter, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn. Incidentally, Coburn is rated ‘100 percent conservative’ by the American Conservative Union.

Ironically, McCain’s best help in unifying his party may come from Clinton and Obama. Either, as their party’s nominee, should galvanize all but the most grudge-holding holdouts from the GOP ranks. On issues, foreign and domestic, voters will have a clear choice between McCain and his Democratic opponent.

Second, McCain has to energize Republicans at all levels. He has to inspire them by his own example of courage, public service and zest for life. He has to persuade them, against conventional wisdom, that a re-energized GOP can extend its tour in the White House, and make some gains in Congress, too.

Third, Sen. McCain has to reach out beyond his party to independent voters, and even Democratic voters, who may be reluctant to vote for either Clinton or Obama. This may be his hardest mountain to climb.

If the Democrats emerge united, with a nominee both Clinton and Obama followers can vote for with a clear conscience, McCain’s mountain could become McKinley high. If they end up divided, McCain could win, while the Democrats ‘snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.’ Either way, 2008 will be historic.

Retired Army Col. Thomas B. Vaughn can be reached at [email protected].