McCain Update: Me-Too'ing in S.C.; Blames "Lingering Resentment" from '00 for '08 Hurdles

Now, let's turn for a sec to the guy running second for the Republican nomination...

A while back, I noticed an interesting pattern whereby John McCain and his PAC would almost instantly copy anything Rudy did, even down to a simple e-mail sent to IA-GOV candidate Jim Nussle's list.

Well, Rudy will be in South Carolina for a state party fundraiser tomorrow. John McCain will also be there, doing the same thing... the very next day!

Meanwhile in Iowa, John McCain starts to come to grips with the mountain he'll have to climb -- and the slings and arrows we'll be throwing at him from the mountaintop:

"If I run, and we'll decide that early next year, there's a lot of work to do," McCain said as he began a two-day visit to Iowa, which traditionally holds leadoff caucuses in January of presidential election years.

"Here in Iowa there are parts of the party where there's still lingering resentment over the bitterness of the 2000 race," he said.

Anyone else think it's strange that he constantly refers to himself using the royal "we"?

"Since we haven't decided whether or not to run, we haven't decided whether to compete here, but I think you could make the argument that it's very different than 2000," he said. "In 2000, I was the outsider and, you know, we could afford to pass up on Iowa."

McCain's just engaging in wishful thinking if he thinks 2000 is the extent of his problems. Had he run as a real conservative in 2000 and then supported the President all the way to 2004 and beyond, he could probably count me and many others as proud supporters. By forging ahead with his ill-advised CFR crusade, going so far as to oppose tax cuts (an issue on which there can be no compromise for Republicans), and flirting with a party switch and Kerry VP offer, he placed himself forever outside the mainstream of the Republican Party. You need look no further than the numbers Kavon highlighted earlier today: Republicans think Rudy's a conservative by 31% to 13% who say he's a liberal. Republicans are evenly split on whether McCain is liberal or conservative.

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John McCain has in many ways voted conservative over the years -- in the same way that Joe Lieberman has voted liberal. This fact was little consolation to Lieberman last Tuesday night and it will be little consolation to McCain a little over a year from now.

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