WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I made a dumb prediction last night. I predicted that the McCain-bashers in the wingnut media might actually take the side of The New York Times against John McCain after its story on his interactions with Vicki Iseman and other lobbyists. Bay Buchanan, Pat's sister and a Romney backer, is angry at McCain, but everyone else on the right seems to be circling the wagons and lashing out at the Times on McCain's behalf. Why didn't I see that coming?

The anger directed at McCain has always been greater than what's been directed at the other GOP candidates in this presidential race -- the wingnuts hate McCain more than the still socially moderate Rudy Giuliani, more than the shamelessly flip-flopping ex-centrist Mitt Romney, more, even, than Ron Paul. Why?

Because Romney (now) hates liberals, Giuliani (even though he's perceived as socially liberal) has genuinely hated liberals for a long time, and Ron Paul is clearly no fan of liberals -- but McCain, that bastard, reaches out to liberals. And hatred of liberals is really the one and only thing that matters to the right. It's the single leg of modern conservatism's one-legged stool.

Inadequate hatred of liberals is the reason McCain has been despised -- who cares if he has a solid conservative voting record and is the most fervent supporter of the Iraq war, which the right has told us for years is the great crusade of this century? But now McCain's enemy is the embodiment of the "liberal media," The New York Times. So of course they right is backing him.

McCain's support on the far right isn't going to last. Unless he stay linked to that hate, he'll be the right's whipping boy again soon. But for now, he's lucky to have run afoul of the right enemy.

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(Bay Buchanan link via Kathy in the comments to another thread.)