I'm Bob Dole ... er I mean John McCain
Friday, April 4, 2008 at 08:02PM Some in the chattering class seem to have fallen in love with the "John McCain is another Bob Dole" comparison. In reality, the similarities begin and end with their age and distinguished service to the country. The differences, however, are vast and profound.
Dole was a policy wonk and the ultimate party insider. He was legendary for his ability to work the levers of Congress and turn legislation into law. Bob Dole was the establishment; his opinion tracked with conventional wisdom on virtually every issue. He understood the minutiae of policy, but struggled with the "vision thing."
And Mccain? For starters, conservatives don't trust him and some in the party aren't even sure he's one of them. He's made a career of being a maverick and thumbing his nose at Republican orthodoxy. He'd rather got at it alone than fall in lock step with the party. Nobody would confuse him with a policy wonk, unless the issue could get him some visibility.
But the biggest difference: Dole wasn't able to offer a coherent rationale for his candidacy, while McCain has made his clear and simple -- to confront radical Islamic extremism, which he considers to be the "transcendent" issue of our times.
It's a lame comparison, plain and simple.
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