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LITTWIN: McCain rewrites his own history

By Mike Littwin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 19, 2008 at 9:07 p.m.

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – It wasn’t just a primary they held here in South Carolina. It was more like a group exorcism.

John McCain did more than beat Mike Huckabee here. And he did more than just beat Mitt Romney. And he did much more than just beat Fred “This Campaignin’ Stuff Is Harder Than I Thought” Thompson. What McCain did, mostly and most memorably, was to beat back the demons that have haunted him since 2000. The demons, though, once again made it uncomfortably close.

Anyone – particularly in this Republican campaign – can win a primary. But hardly anyone wins a chance to rewrite his own history.

“You know, it took us a while,” McCain told a cheering crowd in Charleston, “but what’s eight years among friends?”

It wasn’t so friendly eight years ago. In 2000, McCain lost in one of the dirtiest campaigns in history, a campaign in which many of us were introduced to Karl Rove’s particular style of campaigning.

You may know how the story went. Eight years ago, McCain beat George Bush in New Hampshire. And then he came to South Carolina, where it all went desperately wrong.

That was the end, basically, of McCain’s 2000 campaign. But eight years later, McCain wins in New Hampshire and then South Carolina -- where the winner historically goes on to win the Republican nomination – finally gives him its long-withheld embrace.

Which may mean, of course, not as much as McCain would hope.

Let’s remember where we are, folks. (With the cold rain here and even the snow and everything but frogs falling from the sky, it was sometimes easy to be confused). But this is still the 2008 Republican race, in which everything does happen, often all at once.

McCain won here in a crowded field with just 33 percent of the vote – and with no guarantee that his support is deep enough to grow when the field shrinks. He still has problems with some on the religious right (he had to literally embrace Jerry Falwell this year to try to win back that vote). He still has problems on immigration. And on the same day he wins in South Carolina, Mitt Romney won in a basically uncontested caucus in Nevada. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani – America’s Nearly Forgotten Mayor – is still camped out somewhere in Florida, waiting for the rest of the field to meet him there.

It was an especially tough loss for Huckabee, who had to win here, but fell, at last count, about three points short. If the former Arkansas governor can’t win in a Southern state where evangelicals made up nearly 60 percent of the Republican vote, it’s hard to see where he can win. He promised Saturday to keep going. I’m sure he will, as long as the credit card holds up. He’s having a great time, even if he’s the only Republican candidate flying coach, in the middle seat.

Fred Thompson, meanwhile, didn’t say he would quit. He didn’t say he wouldn’t either. The guessing is that he’ll quit soon and endorse McCain, who was supposed to be finished months ago and who now seems like – dare we say it? – the front-runner. In fact, Thompson's only primary victory may be the one he gave McCain Saturday by taking away all those conservative voters from Huckabee.

The Republicans now move on to Florida. And the Democrats come to South Carolina, meaning even more TV campaign ads. That’s why I made the rainy drive from Columbia to Myrtle Beach, where the Democrats will debate Monday night and where Hillary Clinton will say she has momentum after winning in Nevada and where Barack Obama will say that he didn’t really mean it when he said something nice about Ronald Reagan.

Speaking of actors – how’s that for a segue? – John McCain spent his rainy Saturday afternoon at the movies, awaiting the results. He went to see a fine film called “There Will Be Blood.” I don’t want to give away the ending, but there was, yes, plenty of blood.

But this day was one when McCain bandaged up a lot of old wounds and looked like he’d instantly shed about, well, eight years. In fact, I kept waiting for McCain, who loves jokes, to make a movie joke – that he had passed on the chance to see an even more violent movie. The title: “No Country for Old Men.”

Comments

  • January 19, 2008

    10:19 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    GWashington1776 writes:

    MITT ROMNEY IS THE BEST CANDIDATE
    He was at the top of his class at Harvard (McCain was in bottom 5 of Naval Academy).
    He is awesome with people (without having to being a joker).
    He is expert at rescuing failing organizations and makes them successful.
    He is awesome at getting things done in organizations (turn around artist)
    He has the best plan for the economy and illegal immigration (unleash capital, get in line)
    He knows how to deal with the big elephant (China).
    He has worked with top business leaders in over 40 countries (foreign experience)
    He has been a chief executive (McCain is an old Washington insider)
    He is not a Bush war monger.
    He is pro-family and pro-unborn children.
    He has only had one wife.
    He won the Evangelical vote in Nevada and Michigan.
    He has won the most conservative, republican votes in all primaries so far.
    Reagan didn’t win in SC either.
    He will not embarrass us like Clinton did and McCain does.

    WHAT MORE COULD WE WANT?

    PS: Huckabee - Restructuring our tax structure is a side show. Where is the beef?
    PS: Huckabee – BILL CLINTON RETREAD. He has the whole Clinton Kit: plays instrument, raises taxes, thinks constitution should be a living breathing liberal document, from Hope, has had ethical charges filed against him, wants Americans to subsidize illegal aliens, likes to go on Leno,
    PS: McCain – Loses his temper, gets mad easily, makes snotty and snide remarks to fellow republicans.
    PS: McCain – Takes pride in dissing fellow republican conservatives.
    PS: McCain - Is he the only one who can support the military?
    PS: McCain – supports AMNESTY, rejects tax cuts, with liberals, authored a very bad law that limits freedom of expression for citizens and lets George Soro billionaires poor money into anti-conservative defeats. WAKE UP voters!

  • January 20, 2008

    6:51 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Oh_Wise_One writes:

    Earl- Your are teh correct. Think McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, Gang of 14, and on and on. The guy is in the wrong party.

  • January 20, 2008

    7:34 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Vaildude writes:

    Not in recent history has the office of President required an individual with proven credentials in business, diplomacy and integrity more so than today....Mitt Romney is the only candidate that has the ability to address issues head on and is still young enough to be effective for 2 terms. McCain is 71 years old...His best days are behind him. Suddenly the economy has jumped to the top issue in American politics..Huckabee? you gotta be kidding. He's a repackaged Clinton...see comments above from gwashington 1776...I wholeheartedly agree....Rudy's last stand is Florida and he needs a convincing win....Fred's already started packing his bags....he's done.....Mitt is the only credible choice for us conservatives.

  • January 20, 2008

    8 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    T1anda writes:

    Can't believe John McCain, the AMNESTY LOVING, dinosaur, is winning ANYTHING!! The voting must be rigged by the pro- amnesty groups!!!! He is Pro-amnesty, pro-amnesty, pro-amnesty all the way!! Wake up America!!! Unbelievable!!!

  • January 20, 2008

    10:46 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LoFat writes:

    Wrong man. Wrong era. Wrong ideas. He is the liberals darling. If he were to take the presidential election away from Bilary, you would not be able to tell the difference, other than Bill probably would not be nominated to the Supreme Court.

  • January 20, 2008

    4:37 p.m.

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    wswbaker writes:

    Whether you like McCain or not, he's the only candidate who could beat the Democrats - look at the polls.

    If ANY of you think Romney, Huckabee, Thompson, etc are 'saints' - you are very naive. To get to their prominent political status, there have to be a lot of bodies (metaphorically speaking) buried along the way. I don't care if they espouse to be 'pure' - no one of that level is completely clean, NO ONE.

    I voted for McCain in the 2000 elections and will do so again this year in the caucus. Here's hoping that he can pull out the nomination to bring a more centrist, fiscally sensible slant back to the Republican party. McCain a RINO? How about all the Republicans who have been in power in Congress spending porkbarrel money like there is no tomorrow - they are the true RINOs - Lott, Delay, and the rest of them.

    They got their *sses handed to them in last years' elections - let's hope that wake up call will get the GOP house back in order or they'll get it handed to them AGAIN in the Presidential Election.