Obama should not make McCain any more palatable on FR now than 8 months ago when the McCain ping list had 3 (slight underestimate, lol) members (including his cat, which was probably vying for points for a free McCain t-shirt anyway) and only Fruity Giuliani was more unpopular than McCain.
Now have a look. People pondering Lieberman (minus Gore, or not?) for VP in a positive light. I have seen posters say they would vote for Hillary Clinton as a Republican if she was facing against Obama. WTH??? Mao vs Stalin would have these people voting for the "lesser communist", and calling anyone who refuses a traitor, or childish, or an extremist - someone refuses to accept the "obvious binary decision". Failure to support Stalin? OBVIOUS MAOIST COMMIE SCUM, DU INFILTRATOR!!! This is not hyperbole; pro-Hillary sentiments on FR would runneth over if she endorsed McCain.
One particularly sad thing I noticed is that many of McCain's earliest and most vocal supporters (including those who sided WITH HIM AND KENNEDY during the immigration debacle, even going as far as to call us "know-nothings" and racists) are now trying to pass off that McCain was "not their first choice" or "their last choice" and that they disagree with him on many things (including immigration and global warming), but that Obama is blah blah blah, so we must support McCain!
This is similar to the Hannity strategy - Hannity has a really good shtick. Goad enough conservatives to his side by mildly rebuking leftist behavior of RINOS when it is harmless, but tow the party line at the end of the day, hoping to drag along all the lemmings who "identify" with him. Feign conservatism when it is harmless to do so, and then abandon all principles when it is worth a damn.
That said, making threads like this is petty. If the quality of McCain's campaign was the weak point, my house would be filled with free McCain merchandise by now. As it stands, I am hoping the McCain campaign selects a CONSERVATIVE VP candidate who could run in 2012 - it would make voting FOR the Republican ticket much easier for many conservatives (providing at least the philosophical out of voting for the VP as a way to endorse him for the NEXT election).
Much like "Mission Creep".
Some people here on FR would be jumping up and down about how evil McCain was in the primaries, and had all the liberal/RINO/reconquista dirt out on him, and now are in support.
Did HE change?????
NOOOOOO
Did THEY change?????
YESSSSSSS.
This means one would necessarily have a philosophical core in your inner being that is akin to Smuckers Jelly, and cave at the slightest thing, shifting your morals, shifting your position.
I AM CONSERVATIVE.
My vote this year goes to neither Democrat (D) and Democrat (R).
I had been that way a year ago, it is that way today, and it will be that way in November.
I too have been stunned by so many wishy-washy posters, and the "clothespins", and the "lesser of evils", and especially the attacks against principles. As has been said before, the only "good" thing about this pathetic Election cycle is that it's revealing the true nature of so much of the GOP's membership.