Stand Up Guy

I gained another measure of respect for John McCain, or at least got a refresher in why Republicans ought to be willing to embrace him. He's a stand up guy, a guy who doesn't feel the need to mince words or call people on the carpet when that's the right thing to do. That includes, as it turns out, a speaker at one of his own rallies who went over the top with his criticism of Barack Obama.

There's plenty of things that Republicans will be able to find to criticize Obama about. McCain has made it very clear that he doesn't want that list to include personal attacks or making fun of the guy's name. If that means repudiating and offending a popular right-wing talk show host, he's willing to do that. This is a promising sign; it suggests we'll have a somewhat more civil campaign than we've been used to in the past.

Contrast McCain's approach to Hillary's.