Maybe it was his CPAC speech? For the first time in the Republican primary, McCain has the support of a majority of his party nationwide. Indeed, nearly every poll in the last two weeks shows McCain at a point or two over 50 percent. Perhaps more remarkable is that 13 percent of Republicans are standing in solidarity with Obama supporters in Michigan–they’re voting “no preference.” It’s unclear what more McCain can really do to persuade conservatives who are still on the fence or perhaps totally unconvinced. He holds their positions on the most important issues. He has whispered sweet-nothings into their ears. Perhaps he needs to let them know he is one of them by attacking the MSM, i.e. telling off color jokes like “the New York Times endorsed me, which is the only thing the Viet Cong and I have in common.” Beyond this, the only thing left for McCain to do is select a Vice President movement conservatives will identify with. Vice Presidents are notoriously weak, but picking a really conservative one isn’t meaningless, even if it doesn’t foreshadow a more conservative McCain presidency. Given the likelihood, should McCain be our next commander-in-chief, that his deputy will eventually be the party’s nominee, a conservative pick amounts to a promissory note: “If you put up with me for 8 years, you’ll get this guy next.”
