That is what Ann Coulter seems to be saying in her latest article.  But we can't "Make a deal."  And it does matter that you choose the right door.  The Right door.

Let me confess something.  I like Ann's work.  Many conservatives may not admit this.  But RightTeacher1 will.  She is . . . caustic, to be sure.  And I do disagree with her on occasion. 

On the other hand, she defended Joe McCarthy as a man who was actually right.  That if people know exactly what happened in that "Have you no decency?" episode, they would have a different opinion than they would just reading history books and watching movies of the event.  (How many people still think SENATOR McCarthy had anything to do with the HOUSE Unamerican Activities Committee.)  That he was a man more sinned against than sinning.  But he was, well, . . . caustic.  I tried to get people on leftist boards to defend history's verdict.  They were very helpful about how much they hated Ann.  They were very helpful about how much they hated McCarthy.  But when I would solicit facts about why he and Ann are wrong and they are right, they would tell me that that is not what their board is about--they aren't interested in facts.  They had no real critiques about what he did.  He just rubbed people the wrong way.

Ann rubs people the wrong way.

And she does that as she tells people that we now have to choose between three senators for our next president (meaning of course, that our next president will be a senator--something that hasn't happened since JFK) and that all three are democrats.

Well, she's wrong.  McCain has an R next to his name.  He may be to the left of anyone who might be reading this, but his is no RINO.

She refutes my previous posts (OK, not directly) that McCain may have an 82 LIFETIME conservative rating, but that RECENTLY his rating has been closer to 62.  Fine.  Probably a good point.  But we need to look at a number of things.

First, if I understand this rating correctly, 62 would still be "conservative."  Not as conservative as we'd like (I'm still a Romney guy, even though I'm a McCain guy), but certainly no democrat.

Second, what are the ratings of Obama or Billary.  That is what democrats should look like.  McCain is no democrat.

Third, we already know some of his colossal blunders.  He's already taken a hit for them.  We already take those into account.  Don't hit him a second time because those blunders lowered his conservative rating.  Is there anything that the 62 ratings tell us that we didn't already know?

We know about immigration, Bush's tax cuts, campaign finance reform, judges, and the environment.  Isn't that alone enough to lower his rating to 62?  Is Ann telling us there is more?

But McCain is no democrat.

He is right on the war.  Take either Billary (Ann's choice) or Obama, and we will give up in Iraq.  Does it matter that we're winning?  I recall a tape made by one Osama Bin Laden from December 2001, where he talks about America as a paper tiger after eight years of Clinton 41.  And that is just because we didn't engage when threatened several times over those eight years.  We all remember the result.  We will never forget the result.  Imagine how much more of a paper tiger we would seem to Jihadists if, after all this time, all this blood and all this treasure, we ran away when we weren't losing, just because our leaders didn't have the stomach to finish the job.  They would try something worse than 9/11.  Something that might even succeed if the Obama Billary people manage to weaken FISA and the Patriot act and other acts and agencies that have kept us safe for almost seven years.  This would not happen with McCain.  Ok, there is still the torture issue, but that is understandable.  McCain is still no democrat.

On immigration, McCain has said we would do enforcement first.  I hope someone asks him if that means that we'll get our damn fence.  I hope he gives the right answer.  I hope he means it.  Certainly his position is better than Obama Billary's.  Not giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants is a necessary, but not sufficient condition.  If he asks me, I'll tell him what to do.  I also hope he appoints people who can give him good advice.  After all, McCain is no democrat.

On the Tax Cuts, we understand why he did it.  He believes in the integrity of the budget.  But we're at war.  He knows that.  He wants to keep non-defense spending under control.  Does anyone reading this disagree with that?  He needs to have Romney or Rudy explain to him about taxes and a vibrant  economy.  And he'll listen because McCain is no democrat.

On campaign finance reform, I don't have a response.  I hope he's seen the error of his ways, but is too stubborn to admit it.  Certainly after one campaign running against Obama Billary and their 527's, he will come to appreciate what a mess he made.  Certainly then, he'll be no democrat.

On judges, he has said and I believe that he will pick Roberts's and Alitos.  I prefer Scalias's, but that is just me.  His problem with judges was over procedures, not over the kind of judges we will need.  In that case, it may be good to keep him out of the senate.  He is no democrat.

On environment, I am hopeful that an educated McCain will not blunder.  The need for energy independence and his understanding of national security would compel a change on his ANWR stance.  The enlightenment he needs to get about business and the economy would make him renounce his McCain-Lieberman farce.  I am hopeful because I know he is no democrat.

This is not an impassioned defense.  In my refrain, I am not taking my cue from Mark Antony.  I am not being ironic.  I wish I could make a better case.  I know Romney (or Rudy) would be better.  I am a month behind in listing to talk radio podcasts, and so I am hearing about a wistful time when Romney was still in it. But, McCain has won according to the rules, as George Will reminds us.  I know there are still problems with McCain that I don't have answers for.  But we are stuck with him.

Right now we have a choice of three and soon we will have a choice of two.  One will have and R after his name and he will win the war, cut spending, and appoint good judges.  The other will have a D after his/her/his name and will appoint activist judges, raise taxes, increase spending and lose the war.  The person with a D after his/her/his name may get us killed.

That is the choice we have.  We can't make a deal.  Door number one, door number two, or door number three.  Which ever you choose, it is vital that McCain is on the other side.