There was a time, in the not too distant past, when I wished for John “100-Years War” McCain to be the Republican nominee for president.
The most vocal supporter of the war in Iraq, with two-third of the voters on the other side of the issue, McCain seemed like he’d be easy pickings for whichever Democrat ended up being the nominee. After all, the Dems were all against the war, right?
The war issue was the top concern among voters. McCain v. Anybody seemed like a slam dunk for Anybody.
But that was then. These days, it is not that clear a call.
ITEM: The war is no longer front and center as an issue. Even Democrats who voted in Tuesday’s primary ranked it way behind the economy as their most important issue. Only 24% said Iraq was most important, while 55% chose the eoconomy.
ITEM: The candidates who spoke most forcefully and most frequently against the war — Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, and more recently John Edwards — are gone from the field.