The McCain question

With each passing day, it becomes more likely that John McCain will be the Republican nominee. A small part of me welcomes this--Sen. McCain is certainly the best of the Republican candidates to serve in the Oval Office. At the same time his election would be a terrible thing--it would continue our disastrous involvement in Iraq indefinitely and institutionalize many of the most odious features of Bush administration policies, domestic and foreign.

So, which of the Democrats would be strongest against Sen. McCain? To me, this is an easy question to answer: Barack Obama.

With Obama against McCain, we have youth against age. (Note to readers: the writer is a lot closer to Mr. McCain's age than to Mr. Obama's.)

With Obama against McCain we have a man who was against the war from the beginning against one who thinks we should stay in Iraq if it takes 100 years.

With Obama against McCain, we have a candidate who wants to move beyond the partisanship of the past two decades (and more) against a man who has participated in and profited from that partisanship.

With Barack Obama as their candidate, Democrats will have a man who has already proved his appeal to independent voters and even Republicans. Sen. Clinton, in contrast, arouses the ire of many independents and even Democrats who say they will refuse to support her. (TONE knows a liberal lawyer, someone who represents workers and supported John Edwards, who says vehemently that he will vote for McCain rather than Clinton.) Hillary Clinton has the highest negative rating of any major candidate in recent memory, and political professionals take it as an article of faith that it is far, far easier to improve one's positive rating than to bring negatives down.

Barack Obama will unite Democrats and independents. Hillary Clinton will unite Republicans.

The choice is clear.