The View From Here . . .
By Bob Morgan, Jr.

This is written on Tuesday of Super Week, featuring an improbable comeback win by the Giants against the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and, of course, the Super Tuesday primaries.

I have watched football since 1961, when the Giants were led by Y.A. Tittle, but the 2008 Super Bowl had to be one of the most exciting big games ever. It is hard to top three lead changes in the fourth quarter, a long drive at the end featuring some heady passes and great catches, topped off by a great last stand by the defense. People will be talking about this game for a very long time.

But turning to the Super Tuesday primaries, I think a few words are needed about the likely Republican frontrunner, Senator John McCain. Or, more accurately, about those on the right who are reacting so negatively to Senator McCain's candidacy. To use an extreme example, conservative columnist and provocateur, Ann Coulter, announced that she would vote for Hillary Clinton rather than Mr. McCain. Leading talk show host Rush Limbaugh has also claimed that the senator is a "liberal" and is seeking to get even for his defeat in the South Carolina primary in 2000.

There are obviously a number of reasons that Mr. McCain has annoyed many conservatives - his sponsorship of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill, his previous opposition to the Bush tax cut (a position that has changed), his sponsorship of a fairly liberal immigration bill (a position that has been modified) and his announced support for global warming initiatives.

But a reality check is very much in order. This is a very difficult year for a Republican candidate to win a presidential election, for a variety of reasons.

First, while President Bush may well be much better regarded by history than he is now, his current approval rating is in the 35% range, where it has remained for over a year. This does not bode well for a party seeking to remain in power.

Second, the economic outlook is very uncertain and there is a distinct possibility of a recession. Housing prices are down, partly because of the subprime mortgage crisis, oil prices have spiked, the dollar is weak, as is consumer spending, employment has recently weakened, and the stock market is very erratic. Much of this is just the normal operation of the business cycle, but bad economic news very frequently presages defeat at the polls for the incumbent party.

Third, the war in Iraq is going better following the "surge" (and the Democratic message of a quick pullout may eventually prove not to be a winner) but at present the conflict is not well received by voters. To take a recent Rasmussen survey, 59% of respondents favor the return of United States troops within a year.

Even for conservatives, Mr. McCain's candidacy offers quite a bit. For all his heresies, the senator's voting record has an 82% lifetime rating by the American Conservative Union. He was the leading Congressional advocate of the successful surge strategy in Iraq.

And perhaps most important, Mr. McCain is very electable. His record of physical courage and leadership in a prison camp is an inspiring story to voters of all political stripes. Moreover, many independentminded voters, including some Democrats, admire Mr. McCain's willingness to buck party orthodoxy.

In summary, this may be a very difficult year for Republicans and conservatives. Mr. McCain's detractors on the right should not make the perfect the enemy of the good.