Turning To The Republicans

Mark Steyn, yes THAT Mark Steyn, was probably clearest about the events of last night.

Well, the heartland spoke last night and about the only message it sent was that, no matter what the talk radio guys say, they're not voting for a Mormon; no way, no how. The rationale for Romney continuing his campaign is that he's the conservative alternative to McCain. The message from Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee is that he will never be accepted as such by the conservatives' electoral base. With the loss of California, it's hard to see the point of Mitt pushing on. On the other hand, given the ongoing vote-softness of the "frontrunner," it's mind-boggling to think the GOP can't produce a viable alternative.

As to Huck for Veep, I assume, whatever anti-Mitt coordination there is between the two campaigns, McCain is planning to toss Huckabee overboard as soon as he's served his purpose.

The real story of the night, when you look at their rallies and their turn-out numbers, is that the Dems have two strong candidates either of whom could lead a united party to victory. Forget the gaseous platitudes: in Dem terms, their choice on Super Duper Tuesday was deciding which candidate was Super Duper and which was merely Super. Over on the GOP side, it was a choice between Weak & Divisive or Weaker & Unacceptable. Doesn't bode well for November.

The huge turnout disparity tells that story the best; it looks like Democrats had something like a 4 million-vote advantage last night.

Huckabee had a good night, but he didn't really complicate the GOP contest. He was the fallback option for those who hated McRomney in the South (remember, they were seen as identical in the early stages of this contest), but there's only one more Southern state left to vote - Mississippi (unless you count Texas). Some think that Huckabee's a VP lock because it would "unify the party," but the same people that hate McCain hate Huckabee more. Karl Rove flatly said no to a McCain-Huckabee ticket, and he's in the position to know. I think a Southern conservative is more likely. Here are some options off the top of my head.

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford? S.C. Sen. Jim DeMint? (I don't think he can get away with picking Huckleberry Graham.) Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour? Georgia Gov. Sonny "Pray for Rain" Perdue?

Something like that sounds right.

As for McCain, he is the Bob Dole of 2008 - the old coot whose time has come. Some elements point to him being a strong general election candidate (like the media love), some don't (like his total disinterest in national policy, his desire to militarize civic life as well as warmonger abroad, and the fact that he's running for Bush's third term). He's also a hothead and is ripe for a dramatic moment on the campaign trail that makes him look awful. Bring him on. I'm not worried. Let him spend the entire election cajoling his base, we'll go out and get the votes.