"But before our old soldier fades away, it is worth acknowledging that McCain ran a valiant race against impossible odds. He will be -- he should be -- remembered as the most worthy presidential nominee ever to be denied the prize. "
"I want to salute John McCain. Why? Because he may be the last true American hero we ever see in a presidential race.
McCain really never had a prayer of winning the 2008 presidential race."
"In the beginning, I thought he would be another Bob Dole. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the case. To his credit, McCain gave the most gracious concession speech I have ever heard. I couldn't help but think, McCain is so gracious in defeat that he seemed destined for it."
~ Mr. Dawntreader
Your thoughts on McCain?
My primary thought, shared by a lot of others, is that if the tone of McCain's campaign had matched the tone of his concession speech, he would have fared a lot better -- and he may have even pulled off the upset.
I actually liked the John McCain of 2000. By 2008, I could barely recognize that it was the same guy. It seems to me that he very much sold his soul -- and his integrity -- in a vain attempt to win by capturing the GOP base. This was a year where the moderates and independents were going to decide the election, not the party bases.
I hope that, up on his return to the senate, McCain goes back to being the John McCain of yore. Both he and the nation would benefit from this.
Posted by: tgirsch | November 10, 2008 at 13:57