This is my theory, but I think that McCain wanted to win...but not all that much, basically, and he was more interested in being nice and civil than in doing what had to be done. Look at all the times Repubs were being lovey dovey milquetoasts while the Left were a bunch of ruthless Machivellians.
Your post made me think about the characteristics of the last 2 successful democrat presidential candidates. Smooth talkers, cool, above the fray, culturally hip. Just the right blend not to offend people, while appealing to the lowest common denominator that thinks a presidential candidate should act like their ideal celebrity: it doesn’t matter what they actually say, think or do, so long as they are really cool and tolerant and not mean. Meanwhile, the formula calls for surrogates in the campaign, the reliable lap-dogs of the media and the entertainment world to do the dirty work of smearing the opponent relentlessly, which, together with attack ads 24/7 combine to destroy the opponent.
Of course, conservatives prefer substance over style. Sadly, the American electorate has been dumbed down to prefer style. This probably dates back to the Kennedy Nixon debates and has been gaining dominance over the election process ever since. Obama has the style thing down pat. Any opponent is going to need to counter that with some style of his own. The current field doesn’t fill me with confidence that we can compete on these terms. I think the only remedy is someone who will not flinch at going right at Obama on every front. Gingrich is probably best qualified for this kind of warfare and his insistence on debating Obama would give him the opportunity to penetrate Obama’s cool bubble. I think that Obama’s soft underbelly is being challenged head to head on substance. Without a teleprompter and prepared remarks, I don’t think there is any way he could counter Gingrich’s mastery over issues, history, and his unique ability to shift the focus of any debate unexpectedly in a direction that would completely flummox Obama.
Am I saying Gingrich should be the candidate? I still don’t know. I recognize his baggage problems. But Romney is so flawed by flip-flops, RomneyCare, his foot-in-mouth tendencies and his sincerity deficit, that I find it hard to accept that he is really capable of beating Obama. I really like Rick Santorum on most issues, but I fear he’d also be a weak candidate pitted against Obama’s smooth, above-it-all style. Ron Paul? Hardly requires comment. Just when you are nodding your head in agreement when he talks about small government, he says something so insane about foreign policy that you immediately realize that he would be mortally dangerous in the White House and I, for one, start to really worry that the same insanity would ultimately bleed into his domestic policy agenda.
It’s been said many times, but I still can’t get enough of the prospect of Gingrich facing Obama in debate. To finally see someone wipe that smirk off the jerk’s face, to see him lose his cool, to see fear in his eyes is such a delicious prospect, I’m (almost) willing to go with Gingrich on that basis alone.