Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day

The Republican front runner for 2008, and by far the most pragmatic presidential candidate the party has produced in a long time, is Arizona Senator John McCain. Consider: He opposed the Bush tax cuts of 2001/2002 as irresponsible at a time of large deficits and unfairly biased in favour of the wealthy. He's for stronger auto-industry regulation and campaign-finance reform, and he got Congressional approval for an anti-torture bill widely seen as a rebuke to the President. All of which would suggest that the hard right should oppose his bid for the nomination. But then, McCain the foreign policy hawk appears. He supports staying the course in Iraq and even sending more troops, and his stance on Iran is unequivocal. Last Friday, in Brussels, he addressed the German Marshall Fund, and he left no doubt about his position and his philosophy. Money quote:

"Perhaps foremost on the minds of leaders today is Iran. I believe we are all aware of the danger posed by a nuclear armed regime in Tehran. Iran is a longtime sponsor of international terror. An Iran emboldened by a nuclear arsenal and the missile systems to deliver weapons would feel unconstrained to sponsor even more deadly terrorist attacks. Its calls for death to America and the extinction of Israel illustrate where its enemies list begins, but surely not where it ends. The nuclear danger reaches beyond the possibility of terrorism; Iran's moves could induce Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and others to reassess their defense posture and arsenals. Iran already possesses ballistic missiles capable of reaching major European capitals and, though many would rely on classic deterrence to insure against Iranian thoughts of attack, its President's messianic impulses are cause for grave worry. Europe's history teaches painful lessons: In the 1930s too few took at face value a dictator's threats to destroy peoples and countries, and the world paid a terrible price."

Apropos Iranian and German dictators, on 6 April, McCain introduced legislation urging FIFA to ban Iran from the World Cup. "The national team is scheduled to play its first match in Nuremberg, Germany. There is a cynical historical irony to this, in light of President Ahmadinejad's vile statements denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel's eradication." So, is McCain (69) electable? If the Republican Party is looking for an independent-minded realist with conservative values, he is the candidate to oppose Hillary Clinton.