Sen. McCain is not right for the Right
Published:Thursday, January 24, 2008
By DEROY MURDOCK

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK — There is plenty to admire about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. His torturous Vietnam experience demands the deepest respect. His eternal vigilance against absurd and costly government boondoggles is unsurpassed. And he forcefully backed President Bush’s military surge, such that a largely pacified and increasingly functional Iraq lately has drifted from the front pages.

But plenty more about McCain argues against his presidential bid. McCain diligently has stymied conservative, free-market policies. While he generally is appropriately hawkish overseas, he is dangerously soft on captured terrorists. And, thanks to the McCain Uncertainty Principle, it often is anyone’s guess whether he will support the Right or sandbag its efforts.

McCain famously opposed President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. “No,â€