Posted by
Scott Ott on Friday, February 08, 2008 6:40:10 AM
by Scott Ott
Sen. John McCain went to a beef producers convention yesterday, and gave a red meat speech. A cattle farmer in the crowd, remarked to his brother, "I'd like to hear him give that same talk at a convention of vegetarians."
Actually, it was a cluster of conservative political activists who listened as Sen. McCain
spoke passionately of strong borders, devotion to the rule of law, strict-constructionist judges, defense of human life in the womb, free-market health care, lower taxes, vigorous cost cutting, the death of sneaky earmarks, and his strong suit, an aggressive national defense policy.
He made some headway with skeptical conservatives more familiar with Sen. McCain's proclivity to partner with liberal lawmakers to write legislation that limits liberty for all but illegal aliens.
But giving a meat-lovers speech to the beef council doesn't test convictions. He needs, with equal exuberance, to carve and devour a rib-eye in the presence of the vegetarians and vegans whom he loves so well. Even more, he must tell them of the rich flavor and satisfying texture of steak, wave it before them on the tines of the fork, and celebrate it with such sincerity they long to take a bite.
"I am proud to be a conservative, and I make that claim because I share
with you that most basic of conservative principles: that liberty is a
right conferred by our Creator, not by governments, and that the proper
object of justice and the rule of law in our country is not to
aggregate power to the state but to protect the liberty and property of
its citizens. And like you, I understand, as Edmund Burke observed,
that "whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice,
neither . . . is safe." -- Sen. John McCain at CPAC, February 7, 2008
At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Sen. McCain gave his best speech to date. But it's not his stump speech. It should be. To make it better, the candidate should take Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, with him on the trail, because Sen. Coburn's
introduction yesterday stands with Marc Antony's
eulogy to Julius Caesar in the annals of
extreme makeovers.
Sen. Coburn made a convincing case that with President McCain, you may not always get what you want, but you'll always know what you're getting. Of course, that's exactly what causes such trepidation as the Republican nominating convention approaches. We think we know what we're getting with Sen. McCain, and much of it we don't like.
But Sen. Coburn painted his colleague as a thrifty, incorruptible stallion eager to kick down the doors of the brie-filled rooms where budget deals are made on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. He said Sen. McCain has no plan to grant amnesty to illegals, and if he did, that Sen. Coburn would kill it. More than anything, he portrayed the former POW as a gutsy fighter, willing to sacrifice all for a just cause.
Senators Coburn and McCain said nearly all the right things at CPAC. Now, let's hear the Republican presidential front runner take that show on the road consistently, in a way that convinces conservatives that it's more than just a show.
Sen. McCain has the God-given ability to lead.
Time will tell if he has the convictions that inspire conservatives to follow.
Scott Ott is editor in chief of ScrappleFace.com, the family-friendly daily news satire site, contributing author of the forthcoming book "The New Media Frontier" (Sept. 2008, by Crossway), and a dynamic public speaker available through Premiere Speakers Bureau.