If one studies carefully the Clintama answers on the war on terror, illegal immigration, and Iraq then the magnitude of Republican infighting seems surreal. The gulf between Hillary and McCain is Grand-Canyon like. This debate came down to Obama, talking in vague generalities about change, still without offering any specifics on anything that might be construed as hurtful and thus force him down from Olympus to the messy smelly world of mere mortals, and Hillary’s Bill-like ‘I did so much and suffered so much for all of you’ sanctimoniousness, coupled with ‘George Bush did it’ — and always that disturbing cackle. To the extent that there is any plan detectable in the generalities, it is get out of Iraq regardless of the conditions, expect that Syria and Iran will be in bad trouble if we leave (go figure), and keep illegal immigration mostly at the status quo of 700,000 a year coming across and another 11-16 million already here. When you have so many identity pressure groups who are single-minded in what they want-La Raza, the anti-war zealots, the Black Caucus, feminist pro-abortion zealots, unionized teachers and government workers-you have to say everything and thus nothing.
If McCain gets the nomination, I would have to believe that the Republican sit-out would only last midsummer until they could not take Sen. Clinton no more, and thus like Lancelot at Camlan belatedly enter the fray.