Even those conservatives who did not rush to embrace Mr. McCain said his campaign’s condemnations of The Times might have given him an indirect boost, although some were not yet ready to support Mr. McCain’s campaign.
“I wouldn’t say that this has turned the tables as far as McCain convincing the base to vote for him,” Matthew Sheffield, the executive editor of the conservative media-watchdog site NewsBusters, wrote to a Times reporter in an e-mail message. “However, this was a terrific opportunity to get that dialogue started. The general sentiment seems to be more of a defense of McCain against an unfair attack rather than a positive reaction to his candidacy.”
Still ain’t votin’ for the guy.
The ancient Chinese saying goes: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
McCain has taken a single step in the right direction. Unfortunately, he went a thousand miles in the wrong direction first, so he still has 999.99999 miles to go, before I will consider voting for him.
I say “consider.” It is especially difficult because he is an inveterate liar who enjoys betraying his friends and allies and bashing conservatives. I have seen no signs that that has changed.
Mostly, his attitude is, “It’s my turn. I’ve been betraying my friends, sucking up to the media, and making deals with the Dems for 40 years, and now they owe me one! Al Gore thought it was his turn. Well, I’m no Al Gore, and it’s my turn!”