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And Rightly So
August 11, 2008
John McCain is a war hero -- the genuine article. The
gripping story of how McCain and his fellow P.O.W.s
endured brutal torture to make their stand for our country
will move any patriotic American. But as a Senator and a
Presidential candidate, McCain hasn't been much of a hero
to conservatives.
McCain wasn't my first pick in this election, and I
doubt if he was yours. He's been dependably conservative in
his voting record on important issues -- on abortion, for
example, and on reining in government spending run amok --
but by no means on all; and the "maverick" candidate
sometimes gives the impression that he's embarrassed to be
associated with the right wing.
But I've come around to the position that
conservatives need to get behind McCain. And not
reluctantly, showing up on election day to vote for him
while holding our noses. Enthusiastically -- talking to our
friends and neighbors about how important this election is,
helping the campaign with our money and our volunteer work.
Think about it. Out of the lackluster field that
competed for the G.O.P. nomination, we ended up with the
one candidate who's got the best chance to beat Barack
Obama -- the most extreme left-wing politician who has ever
had a real chance to be President of the United States. Our
guy is a war hero with a healthy (and smart) respect for
America's interests and prestige: McCain was an early and
crucial supporter of the "surge" that's turned things
around in Iraq. And he's our last, best chance to rescue
the rule of law in America from the unprincipled judges who
substitute their judgment for our Constitution.
The Supreme Court is why this is a make-or-break
election. After decades of struggling, we're on the verge
of victory on Roe vs. Wade, and so many other vital issues.
Now six Supreme Court justices are over 65. There's no
water-tight guarantee that a President McCain would appoint
originalist justices and get them confirmed. But there's a
decent chance. If Obama's elected, he'll put enough
rotten justices on the Court to guarantee a decades-long
reign of "the living Constitution," i.e., no Constitution
at all.
A few conservatives see the stakes and are doing what
they can. Thomas Sowell points out that we can simply no
longer afford a Carter-style foreign policy in the era of a
nuclear Iran (an issue that could eclipse even the Supreme
Court). But too many other conservatives are A.W.O.L. in
this election. They've washed their hands of the whole
thing; they’re going to sit this one out; or -- at best --
they're willing to criticize Obama but won't say a word in
favor of McCain.
That just isn't good enough. Fantasies of spending
four years "in the wilderness" purifying our ideas and our
party and then returning to take power, as we did between
Goldwater and Reagan, are pipe dreams. Lightning is not
going to strike twice in the same place. Remember what
happened to the Whig Party? (If you do, good. If you don’t
-- see my point?)
This is politics, folks. It's not religion. Politics
is about how power (the overwhelming force of the
government, which -- if abused -- can destroy us) is used
and how it's kept under control. It's not about the meaning
of life. Trying to find ultimate meaning in political
things is, after all, where the Left goes wrong.
So, I urge you, read Faith of My Fathers and see if you can't work up some enthusiasm for the genuine American hero who's our candidate this November.
--Elizabeth Kantor
andrightlyso@ConservativeBookClub.com
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