Here's how I see McCain's motives:
He's running for prez in 08. He's decided to try to win without social conservatives. Splitting the GOP is to his advantage.
His "base" will be GOP "moderates"...and he will do all he can to convince more and more republicans that that's a good thing to be. Add to that mix the independents and a good portion of rat voters---the ones who don't pay much attention to politics until late in the prez election years.
It's a volatile mix and McCain went a long way in appealing to them yesterday. Given the cover he will get from the media, he's a dangerous loose cannon on the GOP deck. I wouldn't even TRY to predict his next move. But I can be certain of one thing. He WILL NOT be taking the normal route of appealing to conservatives in the primary, then moving to the center in the general election. He's trying to build a new coalition that doesn't include social conservatives.
To me, the biggest danger is if he pulls a Perot, running as an independent if he doesn't get the nomination. The only thing is...I can't decide whether he would attract more GOP moderates or Dems who've become disillusioned with their party.
DEMs. McCain is no threat to conservatives, in a presidential race.
Since the amdinistration never responds to media hype, he will get away with this.
I am not optimitic at all that he will not get away with it if this tactic is not openly challenged by the GOP.
All he has to do is pull off 4% of the national votes, that it.
Yes, psycho McCain may take is ball and run as an Indy when he gets smashed in the 08 primaries.
He tried that in 2000 and it blew up in his face. One cannot run in the primaries as a "moderate" or "centrist" because that is not who votes in the primaries. The ones who vote in the primaries in the largest numbers are the hardcore base. This is why Dean (until his implosion) and Kerry did well in the 2004 since they were to the far left like the base of the Democrat Party.