With the struggle for his political soul between the Religious Right and Reagan Republicans settled by the choice of a running mate, there are increasing qualms about the new John McCain by traditional voices in his own party.
“Under the pressure of the financial crisis,” writes conservative icon George Will, “one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.”
This comes after the Wall Street Journal labels McCain’s call for the resignation of SEC Chairman Christopher Cox “unpresidential,” demonstrating that McCain “doesn’t understand what’s happening on Wall Street any better than Barack Obama does.”
“McCain’s populist bent,” CNN reports, “has made some fellow Republicans unhappy” about “his election year migration toward more government control of the economy.”
But the doubts run deeper than unhappiness over his stance on the financial bailout.
“Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial,” George Will observes, “usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But…”