Mark L.- That’s a perfectly fair complaint. I don’t think it settles the issue of whether McCain would be a good commander-in-chief, but I think it’s legitimate evidence to bolster the case for those who hold that view.

Personally, I have no problem with keeping Guantanamo open. And if we close it we’ll need to come up with something else like it or we’ll end up either doing something stupid (like letting too many terrorists go, or putting them in the regular criminal justice system, which would create more Louis Pepe’s) or we’ll do something morally worse like farming prisoners out to much harsher places than Gitmo.

But I don’t think Gitmo’s status is the hinge issue of national security. One can make the case that the place is such a p.r. disaster that something has to be done. Indeed, that seems to be the sentiment among many in the Bush administration already.

As for roughing up generals like they were his Senate colleague, I don’t know if that’s as bad as it sounds. Again, I think the issue of McCain’s temperament is legitimate. But I think Bush’s deferment to generals for several years made things worse in Iraq, not better. Bush wisely and bravely snapped out of that by backing the surge and Petraeus. But it should mean something that the surge was McCain’s position from the outset. Also, it’s worth noting that the majority of the generals in the Pentagon want to get out of Iraq ASAP (or so I’ve been told by people who follow internal military politics very closely). Having a stubborn president who won’t be intimidated by the brass may not be such a terrible thing. Meanwhile, Romney’s style of management — bring in the experts and grease-board everything — could very well lead to him being rolled by the military bureaucracy. Or maybe not. I’m not a huge fan of Romney’s, but I’m not quite anti-Romney either. My only point is that these things can be seen from more than one angle.

And, as I suggested the other night. I have no problem whatsoever with Republicans fighting hard for the candidate they think will be the best for their party and the country in the primaries. All I objected to last night was how over-the-top the Corner has gotten in it’s McCain bashing. There are lots of good, serious, conscientious conservatives (many of whom read the Corner) who support McCain who don’t believe they’re supporting a liberal, that they’re knaves or that McCain would destroy all they hold dear.