The Occasional Observer

He delivered a great speech. His authenticity and conservative principles were on display. Here's the crux of his governing philosophy:

I believe today, as I believed twenty-five years ago, in small government; fiscal discipline; low taxes; a strong defense, judges who enforce, and not make, our laws; the social values that are the true source of our strength; and, generally, the steadfast defense of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which I have defended my entire career as God-given to the born and unborn. Those are my beliefs, and you need not examine only my past votes and speeches to assure yourselves that they are my genuine convictions.

He then goes on to show that he's willing to take unpopular positions:

You can take added confidence from the positions I have defended during this campaign. I campaigned in Iowa in opposition to agriculture subsidies. I campaigned in New Hampshire against big government mandated health care and for a free market solution to the problem of unavailable and unaffordable health care. I campaigned in Michigan for the tax incentives and trade policies that will create new and better jobs in that economically troubled state. I campaigned in Florida against the national catastrophic insurance fund bill that passed the House of Representatives and defended my opposition to the prescription drug benefit bill that saddled Americans with yet another hugely expensive entitlement program.

A little straight talk:

"Surely, I have held other positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won't pretend otherwise nor would you permit me to forget it. "

He goes on to discuss immigration, and how he has come to understand the borders need to be sealed before any other aspect of the problem can be addressed.

The line that stood out for me was this:

All I ask of any American, conservative, moderate, independent, or enlightened Democrat, is to judge my record as a whole, and accept that I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep.

Very few politicans could make this statement and have it sound like little more than empty rhetoric or wishful thinking. For McCain, it is believable. Because it is verifiable, as the guards at the Hanoi Hilton can attest.

All in all, I think this speech should be a turning point in his relations with conservatives. After all, the crowd at CPAC (!) spontaneously burst into a chant of "John Mc-Cain, John Mc-Cain" at one point. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.