What is McCain doing?

While Arizona Senator John McCain seems to be on the rise in public opinion due to his advocacy against pork spending, all forms of torture and humiliation, and staunchly social conservative judges, not everyone is pleased with his political alignment. In fact, his positions seem to be quickly making him a candidate for the same obstructionist-like status that sunk former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. On Powerline, for example, Paul Mirengoff criticized the Senator for not being enough of a 'hardcore' conservative:

...McCain wasn't hardcore when he joined the gang of 14, thus effectively sinking the prospects of several outstanding conservative nominees for the court of appeals. Nor, in my view, is he hardcore in the war on terror when he advocates blanket "anti-torture" policies that would limit the government's ability to obtain information from terrorists.

There are other McCain stances that many conservatives are taking issue with like his participation in the 'Global Warming Awareness Tour' with Hillary Clinton and the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reforms which some consider unconstitutional. And, Second Amendment advocacy groups rate McCain low on his views of gun rights. So, the question is will McCain represent a real option for the Republican Party in 2008? Will he be able to garner support from the social conservative groups that seem necessary in order to win the Republican nomination? And, does it even matter? Some are saying Republicans will have no other choice if they want to retain the White House for another four years. According to sources at anklebitingpundits.com, “The national environment has gone to s—t and Republicans are going to take a beating in 2006. McCain is the only guy out there with the credibility to maintain Republican control in Washington.” This seems to be consistent with the local media coverage he received after a recent visit to Austin where the local newspaper claims he offers something rare in a potential candidate—“political honesty.” It all suggests that McCain is the only Republican with enough integrity to survive the character attacks that are becoming inevitable in presidential races.

It seems like the politically savvy senator is making an effort to brand himself as a social centrist while still advocating the traditional fiscal conservative values his party was once well-known for. This could be perceived as a brilliant political move, but I would expect the senator to try something like this after locking up the Republican nomination. This appears to be 1992 Bill Clinton-like centrist politics, but way before conventional political wisdom would dictate such a move. On the other hand, if he recognizes that the Republican field of candidates is so weak that the Party will have no other options regarding the nomination, he is not as crazy as he appears. By this logic, he already has the nomination in the bag—as ridiculous as this seems with over 2 years before the first state caucus. But, let us assume he does have the nomination wrapped up. His premeditated move to the center will certainly give him an advantage over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton because of her association with the far left—who he leads in a one-on-one hypothetical contest according to Angus-Reid. According to centrist logic, conservatives will always vote for the Republican, so he has that segment locked up. Hillary's reputation will alienate the swing voters, and McCain's stances on improving American world credibility (with anti-torture legislation), a return to fiscal conservatism, and an outspoken stance against 'hardcore' socially conservative judges will strike a cord with middle America. Of course, all of this depends on the fact that Republicans will recognize that their party is currently lacking the credibility needed to get another 'hardcore' conservative back in the White House. Maybe a rough mid-term election cycle will give them an education. If this is McCain's stategy, it can be likened to a footabll coach going for it on 4th down. If you make it, you're a genius; if you miss it, you're fired.