Judging John/Early Handicapping

Over at Americans For Freedom, JP weighs the pros and cons of John McCain for President. Part of JP’s analysis concerns McCain’s chance for victory, which frankly doesn’t concern me yet. What does interest me is when a true-blue (-red?) conservative asks himself if he could vote for McCain with a clear conscience. JP concludes that

McCain has the best shot right now at winning the GOP nomination in 2008. Independents love him, and he gain win back most of the GOP, if he works consistently & patiently over the next 2.5 years to show that he has both learned that some of his prior positions were incorrect and that he is a more Conservative politician than the GOP grassroots think he is.

Since I’m not what most people would consider a conservative, that last line leaves me cold. I am, however, a First Amendment absolutist. That means that McCain’s CFR sponsorship is anathema to me.

But President Bush signed the damn bill into law, and I still (grudgingly) voted for him in 2004. Weighing that with JP’s other points means I have a lot of thinking to do between now and 2008.