Just for the sake of argument, imagine that John McCain has the greatest success tonight, Romney doesn’t quite make it in the key states he needs, and so McCain has essentially clinched the nomination (Huckabee’s wins may please Huckabee and his fans, but they won’t block McCain). The senator would have a huge opportunity in his televised address, possibly carried on both cable and broadcast networks depending on the timing, to make an effective pitch to GOP conservatives. Some will never listen, but I suspect others remain persuadable.

No reading a boring speech. No assertions without evidence or specifics. If McCain takes the moment seriously, he can capitalize on it. My view is that his problems are mostly of his own making, not reflections of irrationality or stubbornness on the part of conservative leaders and activists, and if he can’t bring them on board, he’s probably not going to prove to be an effective president, anyway. That’s the kind of thing that presidents need to be able to do.