Two things:
1. The story on the Politico about Fred dropping out and endorsing McCain if he didn’t win in Iowa was obviously a planted story by somebody in the McCain campaign and not Freds campaign. They ran with it despite emphatic denials from everybody who is provably in Freds campaign. The media WANTS McCain and they think the GOP should want him also.
2. McCain has never (yes, I’m saying NEVER) won a GOP primary with GOP votes. The GOP has already decided that they DO NOT WANT MCCAIN! They don’t want Amnesty, Campaign Finance ‘Reform’ or anything else which is bipartisan with 90% Dem support. McCain is dead to conservatives.
The media has been pitching this McCain comeback story since the day before Iowa. They have been repeating it literally word for word channel by channel. If there is such a thing as ‘the Republican establishment’, it IS the McCain backers. And that is who is getting thumped the worst right now.
The MSM is hoping for a McCain or Guliani, or now since they are falling, a Huckabee.
McCain is not Conservative.