The Maverick In Winter

F. Scott Fitzgerald has always been wrong. There are plenty of "second acts" in American public life, from John Travolta to Steve Jobs to Bill Clinton, whose political career flat-lined following his deadly speech at the '84 convention.

But I don't think John McCain is going to make it. (Some are calling it a 'deathwatch'.) Once, back in 2000, I was a huge supporter. He seemed, at the time, like a much more restorative solution than Bush to the post-Bubba miasma that was in the air at the time. It still seems like a wise idea to keep an eye on special interests (hello, immigration?) - even if campaign finance reform turned out to be a bad idea. And I have no problem going against the grain and telling the prevailing ideological orthodoxy exactly where they can stick it - when it really matters, when your most deeply-held principles are being crossed.

But McCain the maverick has mushed too often into McCain the coastal elite, whose opinion jibes too keenly with whatever pabulum is making Tim Russert glare in a constipated way at any given moment. McCain has been occasionally incoherent on the war in Iraq, somewhat more persuasive on the war on terror (to the extent it still seems to be happening) and woefully, radically wrong about immigration reform - again because I suspects he fears the easy demagoguery of the Connecticut dinner-club crowd.

It's not surprising his advisers and top campaign people are jumping ship. Personally they probably love McCain, and agree with him - but professionally, pragmatically, they know he's a dead man walking.

Still, I hate to see him go out like a chump.

Tags: John McCain