Premature rumors of his demise? Maybe not. (premature, that is)
McCain speaks in Gilford, NH (June 5th)
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I have been thinking for a while that the illegal immigration position staked out by McCain was going to wipe out the accumulated good will built up among Republicans due to his strong stance on the war. With the unprecedented, intense uprising and clamor over the proposed deal raised by the formerly "silent majority" (thanks in no small part to the New Media) I figured that the Arizona Senator would certainly be vulnerable to a fair amount of blowback given his chosen position. While he made cogent arguments defending his point of view, it could not remedy the fact that, in the end, like President Bush, he was just plain wrong.
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Following up with comments this week about campaign finance laws which he surely knew would further agitate conservatives still sore about McCain Feingold, the Senator's star has seemingly faded almost overnight. And now, we hear distant rumors of a dismal fundraising period just ending. It can't be good when one goes from the perceived frontrunner in a campaign, to denying rumors of an eminent departure. Says the Telegraph (UK):
Senator John McCain, once the Republican front-runner for the White House, has been forced to deny rumours that he is poised to drop out of the race because he is struggling to raise funds.
While I don't believe the Senator is yet to that point, given the Fred Thompson excitement, Mitt Romney's endless pile of campaign dough, and Rudy's continued strength among Republicans, these aren't good times for the McCain camp.
