I dearly wish this proves to be the case.
But McCain’s record is one of stating principles he later backs off from or ignores.
Time and again we see that pattern of behavior: the Keating Five Scandal; campaign finance reform; and criticism of the Religious Right’s manipulations in politics are just a few examples.
The trouble is that even if McCain does “take the high road,” his party is full of pug-uglies who never do anything but the opposite. The numbers are in the hundreds but include Hastert, Gramm, Delay, Gingrich, Rove, Cheney, Lott, and many others.
They are expert at character assassination.
And there is always tons of Republican money to carry off such operations, as when they virtually subsidized a woman - including providing her plastic surgery - who had accusations against Bill Clinton. The spectacle they provided against the poor Cuban boy Elian being reunited with his father was awesome. Remember the “Swiftboaters” in Kerry’s campaign?
Of course, the likely route is to have both these things happening at the same time, parallel political universes. Having your cake and eating it too.
