George Will Piles On

A Republican has to screw up (in the conservative sense) pretty badly for George Will to write a negative column about him. Judging from his columns, it seems to me Will is totally committed to every position on the GOP platform, and as long as a Republican holds to those ideals Will is in his corner. It even took Dubya several years to get on Will's bad side.

But now that John McCain is supporting the bailouts of several Wall Street companies--and personally attacking those he sees as responsible--Will seems ready to abandon him. Will's column this morning seems to indicate he likes Obama better as a candidate. If you'd told me that ten years ago there's no chance I'd have believed you, but here's the evidence:

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

I am in Bizarro-world. But this time I like what's happening.