5 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Why John McCain needs Democrats

After taking a 10-day trip abroad to discuss issues of the day with various world leaders, John McCain does appear presidential. But it will take more than globe-trotting to make a president out of the maverick Arizona senator. Victory for McCain requires not only half the independent vote, but a sizable chunk of Democrats as well.

Domestic and international affairs have not gone the GOP's way in 2008. The economy is clearly in recession. The housing crisis will not improve before 2009. The latest milestone in the five year Iraq war is 4,000 American deaths, added to over one hundred thousand Iraqis. The rising cost of food and fuel threaten to prolong economic woes to the point of real danger. For any incumbent, this comination of events would be fatal. Senator McCain still has an even shot because of his unparalleled national security credentials and general likability which crosses party lines. That is not to say McCain will win with the same strategy that propelled George W. Bush in 2004. Merely turning out Republican stalwarts in so bleak a political climate is an invitation for a Robert Dole-styled defeat.

A good start would be McCain picking a good vice-presidential candidate. There will be pressure for a social conservative like former Majority Leader Bill Frist or Mississippi Governor Hayley Barbour. Neither offers a single vote that John McCain would get on his own. GOP strategists would be wise to think big. Democrats are making history by nominating either an African-American or a woman. Republicans should nominate a high-profile Democrat or independent. Joe Lieberman would be fantastic. He is a former Democrat who is steadfastly pro-war. He is the Senate's strongest supporter of Israel and would be the first Jewish Vice President. Lieberman fails from a northern state which is liberal on social issues, but very much pro-business. It is not inconceivable that a McCain-Lieberman ticket could make inroads in areas that Republicans have written off. Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania and the Solid South would virtually guarantee Republicans keeping the White House.

Insiders will push for a Southern governor. Smart politics would be putting General David Petraeus or Lt. General Ray Odierno. It would be next-to-impossible for Obama-Clinton to confidently take on McCain-Patraeus in a foreign policy debate. Such a choice would surely attract many blue-collar Democrats from Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio; the

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about John McCain becomes Republican presidential front-runner?
We want to hear your view. Write now!