McCain-Huckabee?




It is not inconceiveable that the Republican Party, confused, unhappy at its choices, bucks all polls and when comes Iowa and New Hampshire, behaves in the hierarchical manner to which we have become accustomed and votes McCain -- because ... it is his turn (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment).

But conservatives, of course, have never trusted McCain, not since he was lionized by the Centrist Eastern Establishment (tm)-- The Media (NYTimes, 60 Minutes); The New Republic; Charlie Rose; etc, &c -- so the Arizona Senator would be forced to balance the ticket with someone with red-state steak-and-potatoes bona fides.

Enter: Mike Huckabee, the Mr. Thank-You-Jesus candidate.

Even Southern Baptists are not united on Huckabee. Still, Huckabee would be politically useful to McCain because he would keep the Evangelicals -- more or less -- pleased, leaving the Senator to shore up stray Independents and Neocons. Already he seems to be herding those cats (bitchsmacking The New York Times is to conservatives what exotic ethnic restaurants are to liberals, see). Huckabee, for all his godawful ass-backwardness, also adds a dash of humor and down-home kick off your shoes folksiness to John McCain, who, as would befit a former prisoner-of-war, comes across as grave and stiff on the campaign trail.

A McCain-Huckabee ticket would be formidable, and it is a real possibility.