Fallout

That's the Ticket

Andrew Sullivan explains why recent atrocities in Iraq make a Kerry-McCain ticket more likely than ever--though still, he's quick to say, a stretch. Is Sullivan right? Would Kerry-McCain win in a romp? I think so: Kerry, despite his lackluster campaign thus far, has a 50/50 shot right now as it is. Adding McCain would bring Kerry droves of independent voters, fire a symbolic shot across the Republican bow, and energize people who have been holding out for a more credible alternative to Bush-Cheney. They'd surely take such swing states as McCain's home state of Arizona, lock up the Pacific Northwest, and likely put to rest any Bush ambitions in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Incumbents tend to win big or lose big. With McCain on the Kerry ticket, I think we can assume it would be the latter.

Speaking of Republicans helping good causes, Nancy's Reagan's plea over the weekend is a promising development in the battle over stem cell research. I can't imagine it will make any difference in Bush's policies, but I'm betting it will remind a few people that Bush doesn't always make policy decisions based on what's best for the country, instead choosing to look inward and ask himself what his strikingly conservative version of Jesus would do. Let's hope they remember that in November.