Third parties

I was (gently) taken to task for my post of a few weeks ago where I indicated that I might consider voting for Bob Barr if McCain makes an unpalatable VP choice. My correspondent (whom I'll leave anonymous since they e-mailed me rather than posting to the blog) made the excellent point that we choose our nominee in the primaries. Once those are over, it is time to close ranks.

I have made this contention myself many times. There are a couple of caveats, though.

My state held its primary so late (May 6) that I effectively had no voice in the GOP Presidential choice. Mike Huckabee, the last semi-viable McCain alternative (no, I don't count Ron Paul) dropped out on March 4. My choice, Mitt Romney, exited on Feb. 7.

Also, Bob Barr's main argument is one that, even though I am a Republican, I find hard to refute, and that is that both parties are failing the American people. Newt Gingrich makes much the same point in his new book Real Change, which is next on my reading list. Gingrich is even more articulate than Barr (as you would expect) in pointing out that there are huge majorities in this country that support most center/right solutions to most problems, yet the issues continue to confront us. (I'll have more on Gingrich in a few weeks.)

Yet, I suppose this is one of the consequences of living in a constitutional republic. Legislation is intentionally difficult to pass (the founders wished it so and they were right), which makes entrenched problems that have gone unaddressed for decades impossible to resolve in a few months.

Ultimately, although I find many Libertarian positions ones that I can be enthusiastic about, I have extreme difficulty with their lack of enthusiasm for the protection of the sanctity of life (as I pointed out in my "What is a conservative?" posts back in April). Bob Barr himself is pro-life, but support for the issue is not a part of the party platform.

So, I will support McCain, as I have ever since it was clear he would be the nominee. I don't believe that McCain will pick Mike Bloomberg anyway, for the record. Mitt Romney's name keeps floating out there, as does that of Bobby Jindal, both wonderful leaders, though I think we should leave Jindal in Louisiana, as he is really making waves there. (Read Newt Gingrich's latest commentary, devoted to Jindal, here.)

It is still an undeniable truth that to get anywhere in American politics today, you must belong to one of the major parties. The Republican party is clearly the key vehicle for achieving conservative ends. So, in Benjamin Disraeli's words, I also must say:

"Gentlemen, I am a party man."