Deal Hudson: "Don't Bet on a McCain-Huckabee Ticket"

Deal Hudson writes at InsideCatholic:

Mark, regarding the likelihood of a McCain-Huckabee ticket, I think you are overlooking the great help that Sen. Sam Brownback has been to the McCain campaign. Brownback has been leading a very successful Catholic Outreach for McCain, one that led to winning the Catholic vote in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida.

This is not to say I am prediciting a McCain-Brownback ticket but only to point out if the goal is to attract more religious conservatives to McCain there are choices other than Huckabee, whose popularity is on the decline.

Brownback surprised people with his support of McCain after pulling out of the race, support he explained in his interview with me last week. Brownback's view that McCain is more electable in a national race is being corroborated by the primary results.

I don't think Mark is right about his argument that McCain can be greatly hurt by his support for federally-funded research on embryonic stem cells. As McCain explained in his interview with me, he thinks recent discoveries about turning skin tissue into stem cells will make the issue "academic."

Mark's argument in his article in the National Catholic Register about McCain on the pro-life issue is off the mark, in my opinion (and no pun intended). McCain has been very forthright on his support for unborn life and his intention to appoint judges who will defend the right to life.

But I predict the next few days will see wave upon wave of attacks on McCain for not being a "conservative" or even a "Republican." It is deeply ironic, in my opinion, that that Romney whose conservatism is only a few years old is being seen as the herald of the conservative cause in the GOP.

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
Looks like Hudson may be leaning toward supporting John McCain. As for his prediction that "the next few days will see wave upon wave of attacks on McCain for not being a 'conservative' or even a 'Republican'", my only response is: "Where has Mr. Hudson been?" The next few days? How about the last 8 years. And with good cause, I might add.

I've written aplenty about McCain's lack of trustworthiness on issues important to conservatives, especially social conservatives. (See here, here, here, here, and here, for examples.) Of course, I've also written that Romney isn't trustworthy on those issues either.

But it looks like we're going to be stuck with McCain as the GOP nominee. I don't know if I can vote for him just on the basis of his position on ESCR alone. But if Sen. Brownback were McCain's running mate, that would go a long way toward easing some of my concerns.