Clifford D. May: McCain isn't the worst fate for conservatives

I'm reminded of the story about the young nun who asked the Mother Superior if it was all right to smoke a cigarette while praying. The Mother Superior erupted in anger at the very idea. Meekly, the nun posed a second question: "Is it all right to pray while smoking a cigarette?" That, the Mother Superior responded, is not just all right, it is commendable.

Among conservatives, there is now much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the likelihood that John McCain will become the Republican candidate for president. On such important issues as immigration, climate change, the granting of new rights to unlawful enemy combatants and freedom of political speech, McCain's positions, they say (with justification) are indistinguishable from those of a Democrat.

But imagine a Democratic presidential candidate who vehemently opposed the United States' retreat from the battle with Al-Qaida in Iraq, clearly grasped the broader threat posed by militant Islamism, favored judges who respect the authority of the Constitution and the sanctity of life, and saw merit in lower taxes and fiscal responsibility.

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