McCain Victory Amazing

Even though the victory of Sen. John McCain is going to be overshadowed by the closeness and importance of the Democratic Party contests, it is still a remarkable political story.

Last year, the McCain campaign was in shambles, with staffers leaving, money tight, and the issues of the war in Iraq and illegal immigration seemed to be working against him. But instead of leaving and believing the political obituaries written over his still-breathing body, he soldiered on.

While he did, he saw that moderates in his party backed him in high numbers, conservatives, who are important in the party, could never agree on a final choice, and that left a window open for the Arizona senator climb through.

Also, the surge in Iraq began to work and Sen. McCain's support for the war (combined with criticism of the Bush administration's conduct of the war) became an asset rather than a liability. Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney never quite caught fire and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gambled on a win in Florida based on national security stemming from his conduct in New York during the attacks of September 11.

That did not happen either.

And although conservatives had bitter disagreements with Sen. McCain's positions on global warming (he's for it, they're against it); campaign finance reform (conservatives oppose it, Sen. McCain sponsored the legislation that bears his name) and other issues. Conservatives still haven't warmed up totally to him but that will be an ongoing process.

But Republicans concluded that Sen. McCain was likely the best candidate to run in the fall.