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First there was the surge itself. Writes NRO’s Rich Lowry, certainly no McCain rumpswab:
The fact is that McCain was calling early and often not just for more troops but the adoption of counterinsurgency tactics in Iraq. He participated in the AEI event last January releasing the Kagan/Keane plan. He did much behind-the-scenes work lobbying the administration on the surge that hasn’t yet been written about. And when congressional Republicans went wobbly on the war last year, McCain stood in the breach and bucked up his colleagues, even as he was getting slammed by the mainstream media. If he had gone south, it would have been game over. On the surge, McCain was prescient, dogged, and brave. It is difficult to exaggerate his contribution and he deserves whatever credit he’s taking for it.
Second, there are rising poll numbers in South Carolina as reported by Byron York at the Corner:
A new poll from South Carolina shows a remarkable rise in support for John McCain
Third, looks who’s leading in Florida according to that state’s current polling data roundup at RealClearPolitics.com. When you look at the charts, and the trends, you can clearly see McCain "surging" in the Sunshine State. (Regular ‘Grok readers know that we confirmed the Florida situation here)
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Make no mistake about it– when looking up the definition of "surge" in the illustrated dictionary, you should find Senator McCain’s picture…
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