Mccains Luck Or Smarts - Road to the Middle Class

HOW DID he do it? How did Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) come from a campaign written off as dead a year ago to being the Republican presidential nominee that is level-pegging with the Democrat in a Democratic year?

It’s luck, writes Mona Charen.

Luck has been sitting on John McCain’s shoulder for 12 months and seems to be warming to her task as November approaches.

Then she goes on to count the ways. Immigration has faded; Huckabee took Romney out; Iraq turned around; energy prices are an issue; Russians in Georgia; Obama infatuation has begun to cool; the economy isn’t quite in a recession

But you can also make a good argument that McCain is one smart politician. He gracefully admitted defeat on immigration, positioned himself as the national-security candidate from the start, was right all along in Iraq, did a neat pivot on energy, and has shown himself to be good on his feet.

More and more, it looks like Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is not good on his feet. He needs to have the battlefield prepared for him, whereas McCain has shown that he can stay alive so long as there is an oasis of a townhall to attend on the morrow.

President Bill Clinton was another guy who was quick on his feet. And he seemed to have luck on his shoulder too. The trouble with Clinton was that he really didn’t know what to do with his talent and his luck. Maybe it’s just as well.

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Christopher Chantrill blogs at www.roadtothemiddleclass.com. His Road to the Middle Class is forthcoming.

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