Jack Kemp, in an open letter to “Rush, Sean, Laura, Ann, Mark, et al” :

“By nightfall on 10 May, 1940, Churchill was prime minister. He later wrote of how, when he went to bed that night, he was conscious ‘of a profound sense of relief. At last I had authority to give directions over the whole scene. I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.’ Yet there was still some Conservative opposition to his emergence as prime minister; on May 11 Lord Davidson wrote to Stanley Baldwin: ‘The Tories don’t trust Winston. After the first clash of war is over it may well be that a sounder government may emerge.’” Obviously historical parallels are never perfect, but I believe this one reflects the reality that, like Churchill, McCain’s whole life has been but preparing him to be best able to lead our nation and prosecute this war on terror to a successful conclusion… With Supreme Court appointments to be made in the near future and attacks mounting on traditional family values, it’s critical to our cause to have a candidate who can appeal to Reagan Democrats and independent voters who share our world view. The stakes are enormous, and I urge you to put the McCain candidacy into historical perspective and recognize that he isn’t just a bulldog of the Senate, but that he can become the lion of the 21st century.

You know, I like McCain, and some of the criticism of him has been hyperbolic. But comparing McCain to Churchill feels like going a little too far in the opposite direction.

UPDATE: I applaud one of my readers, John, who, like me, is a fan of Kemp’s. But he probably ought to be careful about throwing around the “he’ll be the Lion of the 21st Century” line:

And I want you to know, the other night I was honored, I was so honored to be part of that tribute, so meaningfully to President Reagan. Afterwards. Mrs. Reagan said she was touched by my calling Ronald Reagan the last lion of the 20th century. Well, I said history will record that.
I believe America is fortunate that last night you, and you, and you nominated a leader worthy of succeeding President Reagan — a man with the strength, the determination and the vision to do the job that lies ahead.
And I want you to know tonight from the bottom of my heart, I believe Bob Dole will be the first lion of the 21st century.