John McCain’s first stop after clinching the Republican nomination in last night’s primaries was the White House, for lunch and an endorsement from President Bush. Mr. Bush’s embrace is one Mr. McCain should be wary of. It’s clear why Mr. McCain paid the visit. He still has a lot of fence-mending to do with the conservative wing of his party, which strongly opposes his views on immigration, campaign finance, and other issues. Right-wing talk personalities like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter have been particularly harsh in their anti-McCain fulminations.
Mr. Bush still carries considerable weight with these folks.
Mr. Bush also remains a powerbroker in the party. He and Karl Rove hold a lot of sway with the Republican National Committee, and with the big donors that Mr. McCain will need to woo to remain competitive with the Democrats, who have had extraordinary success with fundraising this year.
The problem, though, is that embracing Mr. Bush — whose average approval ratings hover around 32% — is likely to seriously damage Mr. McCain with the rest of the electorate.
Mr. McCain has already thrown his lot in with Mr. Bush on the highly unpopular Iraq War, saying the United States may need to remain there for as long as 100 years.
Mr. McCain could be compounding his problems by appearing to endorse the rest of what the Bush administration has come to represent for many Americans: allowing big corporations to call the shots on government policy; trampling on the law and civil liberties; sky-high gas prices; and allowing the economy to slide toward recession.
Now that he is the nominee, Mr. McCain will have to make some tough decisions. Does he want Mr. Bush to campaign for him? Where and how much? (Mr. McCain seemed to hedge the issue today, saying: “I hope he will campaign for me as much as in keeping with his busy schedule.”)
What role does he want the outgoing President to play at the Republican National Convention?
The more trouble Mr. McCain has in rallying conservatives in his party to his candidacy — and there may be some serious bumps along the way — the more he is likely to feel that he needs to publicize his warm relations with Mr. Bush. Nothing would make the Democrats happier. In the fall election, they can be counted on to take every opportunity to underscore the bond between the two men. They are already doing that now — calling the new Republican nominee “McSame as Bush” in this snarky attack ad.
By running to the White House for Mr. Bush’s blessing the day after winning his party’s nomination, Mr. McCain is doing the Democrats’ work for them — helping them to tie him to a dismally unpopular incumbent.