Rich, I’d completely agree with that if McCain had chosen to move to a position which, though not favored by NR, was at least an improvement. That, as you say, would be a welcome development, and it would make good sense to laud it as such. But he has made no such choice. The editorial was not celebrating a positive development but rather urging McCain to move to a position that is not favored by NR. Sure, that would move McCain to the right, but it would also move the position to the left. Even if NR continues to argue that that the Isakson proposal needs improvement, prodding McCain to go only so far signals the outlines of a compromise that would make NR’s preferred position less likely to succeed. That’s not a welcome development — unless, in the greater scheme of things, one calculates that the Right would be better served by a McCain presidency than pushing for the best outcome on this particular issue. Unless and until that calculation is made, why not urge McCain — and everyone else — to adopt NR’s preferred position?