Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Fate Delivers Opportunity

Rudy Giuliani will bow out on Wednesday and endorse John McCain for President. The endorsement will probably come in California, perhaps in Simi Valley where the Reagan Library is located.
If Rudy is capable of making this tough choice then the rest of us must bring ourselves to make a choice as well.
It is somewhat easier for Rudy because Rudy and McCain are friendly and Rudy is certainly closer to McCain than he is to Romney. But Rudy wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think it was right.
In his remarks tonight Rudy was a class act and I'm sure he will strike the same tone tomoroow.
No one could have predicted this turn of events even a couple of months ago but this is what makes politics so exciting, so thrilling.
And this too: Who would have thought that the GOP would have its candidate before the Democrats? But now that's exactly what seems to be in the cards. Republicans in recent years have proven very effective at closing ranks when the time comes. Once the party seems to have settled on a candidate the GOP moves to coronate rather that nominate.
In the coming weeks and months it falls to McCain to put the pieces together and shoar up the party. He will also have to coax Romney along, sooner rather than later. No small feat. And, as I've already said, it will be hard for the Washington-insider McCain to present himself as a vehicle for change - but that's exactly what he'll have to do as he heads into the main campaign.
Certainly, his choice of a running mate will be critical.
Politics (the art of the possible) rarely gives us perfect choices.
Now, a strange sort of fate has handed the GOP a remarkable opportunity for a relatively early end to battle and a move toward unity by coalescing once again around an elder party statesman and veteran of party wars - someone who is seasoned focused and ready to lead. Sound familiar?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Looks like the people have spoken. Hopefully McCain's no-nonsense demeanor will offset the "smoke and mirrors" of the Democratic candidates.