As the news media quickly shifts their attention from Huckabee to McCain, don’t think it’s just because New Hampshire is the next major contest. There is also a longer, truly heart-felt affection by center-left journalists for McCain, who mirrors their sentiments on the issue they (wrongly) believe is central to American politics: campaign-finance reform.

* A cynic might say that newsies want to muzzle big-spending campaign organizations to increase their own relative importance in the political system. A cynic would be right.

In any event, in this matter Iowa is inconvenient for the McCain/Left argument. Huckabee had little money and won. Romney spent lots of money and came in second.

* There is also a similar effect when it comes to global warming. Conservatives need to understand clearly, if they don’t already get it, that for journalists and commentators pining away for old-fashioned big government, climate change is more important than Iraq, more important than war against Islamofascism, more important than taxes and entitlements and all the rest. McCain is an apostate among conservatives on the issue. Among Lefty journalists and activists, he’s a saint.