The Discerning Texan

From Glenn Reynolds:

FOX, CNN, AND NBC HAVE CALLED IT FOR MCCAIN. Huckabee is second, and Fred Thompson still seems to be holding onto third. I think this is pretty big -- If McCain can win South Carolina convincingly, he can win conservatives, and if Huckabee can't win in South Carolina, where can he win? And a third-place finish is good enough to keep Thompson going, I think -- especially when a lot of his votes come out of Huckabee's hide, since Thompson clearly isn't a Huckabee fan.

UPDATE: I'm watching Huckabee's concession speech and all of a sudden he's talking about the evils of big government.

ANOTHER UPDATE: We're at my dad's and he's happy that Romney's fourth, so he can't claim "a bronze." The Olympic analogies are getting old.

I agree that this is still salvageable for Fred--and that he should stay in; my only question is: does he want it enough? McCain will not win the South; I just can't see it. And without the South I don't see how he possibly turns out enough people in the fall at the top of the ticket. If he doesn't jump in, the very best thing he could to would be to throw his support to Rudy or Mitt--NOT to McCain as Fred Barnes and Kondrake seem to be praying for. "Friend" or no friend, Fred is nowhere near McCain ideologically. It would be a real disservice to his supporters to toss his support to a non "movement Conservative". We very badly need for a true conservative to be the nominee if we are going to have a chance in hell of winning in the fall.

Other than Thompson, Rudy and Mitt are the closest thing we have left. I disagree totally with the General Consensus that McCain is the most likely to beat Hillary or Barack--I think that besides Huckabee, he is the most likely to lose to them. If they want a pro-immigration, anti tax-cut candidate, people will vote for Bloomberg or a Democrat. Let's give the people another choice.

Here is my message for Fred:

Senator, I cannot tell you how much pride and admiration I have for you, your positions, and the classy way you have been conducting this campaign. I've supported you all along, and I believe that it would be by far the best thing for the party and the country if you stayed in the race and gave it your best shot at least until Super Tuesday. Because you ARE the example of how a campaign should be conducted, and of what a real Republican ought to be.

Even if you did not win the day outright today, you finished respectably and momentum was building for you all week. You passed up Romney, and you were nipping at Huck's heels, I think if you stayed in for the long haul, you would easily garner enough delegates to have a serious say in the Republican platform; and there is a distinct possibility you might even decide who the candidate is to be in a brokered convention.

I know you are tired and road weary, and want to be with your family. Running for President is one hell of a tough thing to do. ( being the President isn't exactly easy either). But Americans who really love their country have always found a way to perservere for things that really matter. Washington crossing the Deleware. Lincoln hiring Grant. Petraeus turning Iraq around in its darkest hour. This is what patriots do.

You can still have a huge impact--one way or another--on who becomes the next President; Senator, you can still be the next President. That is far too valuable to abandon the playing field to some two-bit Arkansas shyster now.

The bottom line is that you are still the standard bearer for the vision of the founders and of the vision of Reagan. We need that vision right now. The longer you can stay in and get your message out there, the better.

Take Huckabee out; the rest will take care of itself. And let's see what your count is in February. It is not too late to win this election; just ask Rudy Giuliani...

Thanks for continuing to fight the good fight.

UPDATE: Greetings Instapundit readers, and many thanks to Glenn for the link.