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Letters: One Reader's View
McCain is the conservative
I read Rick Santorum's column "The conservative jury is still out on backing McCain" (Inquirer, Feb. 14) with great interest. I respect my conservative friends who don't share my enthusiasm about Arizona Sen. John McCain. Yet, I'm troubled that many critics are focusing on the specks of dust in McCain's eye while ignoring the plank in their own eye.
The plank in the eye of some self-appointed conservative jurists, particularly those from former Republican leadership ranks, is this:
Under their leadership, Republicans grew the government faster than the Democrats we replaced.
Under their leadership, Republicans attempted to secure a governing majority through the corrupting practice of earmarking.
Under their leadership, Republicans passed the largest entitlement expansion since Lyndon Johnson, passing on more than $9 trillion in new debt to the next generation so we could win the 2004 election.
McCain fought against all of those trends while many so-called conservatives were marching our party off a Bridge to Nowhere.
John McCain isn't perfect. But he is by far the best candidate to tackle what many conservatives believe are the two greatest challenges facing our country - radical Islamic terrorism and a Congress that refuses to correct our unsustainable fiscal course.
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.)
Washington
