McCain on the hotseat

After watching Senator McCain getting grilled on the Daily Show last night and this article on the AP, it seems that the senator is making a real effort to reinvent himself as a true conservative (socially and fiscally). At the same time, he reminds his audience that he's still a maverick who has positions that are outside of strict conservative dogma.

Two potential results come to mind (although there are a myriad of outcomes that would be impossible to predict). The first is that being labeled as a panderer before a campaign even begins will deflate McCain's standing with moderates while failing to convince conservatives that he is really one of them. The other would seem to be McCain finding a base of support among disenchanted conservatives who might be looking for a moderate alternative to stave off defeat to Hillary while holding enough of an independent image to secure a landslide.

Another roadblock to McCain's run seems to be the rise of Governor Mitt Romney as a serious conservative challenger. The governor has apparently declared that he is pro-life. This combined with his crusade against gay marriage could make him appealing to social cons.