Politicians are a product of their environment, for the most part. They try to position themselves so that they are as close to the middle of their constituency as they can be, without violating their own principles. That’s why I give Romney a pass on some of his positions as governor of MA. It’s also why I give Giuliani a pass on some of his positions as mayor of NY.
McCain has no excuse. Huckabee has no excuse. Both of those guys are from very conservative states, yet they pursue very liberal policies. That tells me that they are really libs, while the “real” Romney might very well be a conservative.
Since there is no clearly authentic conservative in this race, I’m betting on the horse I think might most likely turn out to be a conservative... And that is Romney. At least he talks like a conservative, and has a plausible excuse for what I consider to be an overly liberal record—unlike his opponents.
If George Allen hadn’t mentioned Macaca....