A person surrounded by the breathtaking grandeur of Arizona’s Sonoran mountain range might be expected to feel insignificant in contrast with the natural wonder, but instead the McCain campaign retreated to Sedona and adopted a sense of grandeur in themselves. Or maybe peyote is to blame for the Senator’s supporters’ claim that his resounding defeat on Tuesday represents a mandate for the McCain agenda. In the sweep of primaries where the issue of campaign-finance reform typically finished behind world affairs as a priority for voters, campaign manager Rick Davis sees "a tidal wave of public opinion that has changed the party forever." Senator McCain failed to win a majority of Republicans in any primary, including Massachusetts’, and polls indicate that the record-setting surge in GOP turnout was partially fueled by anti-McCain Republicans. Yet his colleague Chuck Hagel declares, "We have two newly established leaders in the Republican party. . .[who] together will lead the Republican party."
With the Straight Talk Express up on blocks, despondent reporters echo the call for Governor Bush to adopt the issues they embrace that didn’t work for his defeated opponent. Almost two-thirds of McCain’s voters thought that personal qualities were more important than issues in the contest with Bush. Republicans who have been insisting that character counts should be gratified that so many self-described liberals and moderates paid tribute to John McCain’s tough virtues of courage and self-sacrifice. Voters want to ban the soft self-indulgence of Bill Clinton, more than the soft money McCain railed against.
Republicans should resist the sirens of Sedona. Their terrific race on behalf of a compelling insurgent gives them no claim on the GOP agenda.