I Want to Vote for McCain

               I Want to Vote for McCain
I want to vote for John McCain. I really do. Several times I have gotten close to deciding that I can overlook his track record on taxes (voted against the Bush tax cuts twice), on big government (McCain-Feinstein), on blocking the appointment of conservative judges (Gang of 14), on the "Global Warming" hoax (McCain-Lieberman), and on amnesty (McCain-Kennedy). I think, "I’ll just hold my nose and vote for Senator McCain." And then he becomes John McCain again.

First, he attacks the North Carolina Republican Party for running an ad he disagrees with. (What is he running for, president or dictator?) Then he reiterates his stand for "comprehensive immigration reform," i.e. amnesty for illegal aliens.
This election year reminds me of the lyrics from that old song by Ervin Drake/Steve Lawrence, "A room without windows, a room without doors." Basically we have a choice between two liberal candidates—Barack Obama (liberal strong) and John McCain (liberal light). Or perhaps it reminds me of the inverse of the title of Phyllis Schlafly’s book – An Echo, Not a Choice.

Obviously Senator McCain feels more at home with Democrats like Kennedy, Lieberman, and Feinstein than he does with Goldwater, Reagan, or any other conservative. For some men, their word is as good as their bond, but with John McCain, who knows? Yes, I salute him for his service as a POW, but that in and of itself doesn’t qualify him to be President of the United States.

John, I (and millions of other conservative Americans) want to vote for you, but we need a reason. Why should we cast our vote for you? Will you really nominate conservative judges even though you said that Sam Alieto was too conservative ("wears his conservatism on his sleeve")? Will you really reduce the size of government even though McCain-Feingold dramatically expanded the size and scope of the Federal Election Commission? Will you really "secure the border" even though you co-sponsored the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill? Will you really push hard for making the Bush tax cuts permanent even though you voted against them twice? Will you really work for energy independence even though you voted against drilling in Anwar? 

Who are you, John McCain? 

I’m holding out hope (but not much) that you will pick a young, clearly conservative running mate. That could push millions of conservative votes into your column (including mine). 

Short of that, is the war in Iraq and Afghanistan enough to justify the election of another Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, or Tom Dewey? Will President McCain really do less long-term damage than President Obama? Ugh! What a choice.