John McCain's mixed conservatism.

I have serious misgivings about John McCain as president. On one hand, he would likely defeat any democratic challenger (Obama or Clinton) in November. But while no one in the Republican race for the nomination is stronger on military and foreign policy matters, McCain is liberal on many domestic matters (though I should note his liberalism has been exaggerated by the Rush Limbaughs and Laura Irgrahams of the world). I have serious doubts should there be supreme court openings during a McCain presidency that we'd get the stellar justices President Bush gave us in Roberts and Alito. I see McCain more as a President Bush Senior when it comes to appointments to the Supreme Court. While Bush Senior gave us the excellent and brilliant Clarence Thomas, he also gave us leftist David Souter. If it is only the left end of the Supreme Court that will see vacancies in a McCain presidency, I can live with appointments of both liberals and conservatives. However, there is, of course, no guarantee it will only be liberal members of the Court retiring soon.

One of the more disturbing leftist positions McCain has taken includes human-caused-global-warming-will-lead-to-catastrophe. McCain apparently buys into the climate change hysteria that is characteristic of the left. I don't like this aspect of John McCain's positions because as president he could team with a Democratic congress and pass silly legislation that could damage the economy and hurt America.

McCain's campaign finance reform bill that was signed into law a few years ago is a dangerous piece of legislation that limits freedom of speech. This was another lefty position McCain was behind.

However, McCain is decidedly conservative on some major domestic and fiscal issues.

Many conservatives have given McCain grief because the Arizona senator voted against the Bush tax cuts twice. But there is more to the story than what the McCain detractors are willing to state. Senator McCain voted against those tax cuts not because he doesn't believe in tax cuts but because the legislation did not include spending cuts. McCain is a hawk on government overspending and has fought his entire career over reducing spending. In that context, his votes against the Bush tax cuts don't seem so outrageous especially considering that McCain, who has been in congress for a quarter of a century, has never voted for a tax increase. Plus McCain has stated that as president, he would fight to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. One of the issues that killed Republicans in the congressional elections in '06 was overspending. This is one area John McCain cannot be caught on and if nominated for president, this would prove to be a plus in November.

Another charge levelled towards McCain by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity is that McCain supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. The so-called amnesty bill pushed by President Bush, McCain, and Senators Ted Kennedy and Jon Kyl infuriated most right wing talk show hosts. But the claim the bill was amnesty and did not call for real border security (a fence) are lies. The bill was not amnesty (paying fines for committing a misdemeanor--crossing the border illegally--is amnesty?) and did call for a border fence. Thanks to the rhetoric of many on the right, we have alienated a large number of Hispanics from voting for the Republican party. John McCain, though, is unlikely to be punished by Hispanics because of the Republicans' sins on this issue.

I have mixed feelings on John McCain a a potential president. Though much of the rhetoric from right-wing talk show hosts have been little more than smears and spin, John McCain still makes many conservatives uncomfortable. But I won't act like a spoiled child if McCain does get nominated ("It's not fair! I wanted Giuliani--or Thompson or Romney or Huckabee!"), I'll still vote for him.