GOP voters: can we see the dessert menu?

I read a very interesting AP story this morning on HuffPo, and in so many words, it sums up what seems to be the prevailing mood among GOP voters: we aren't happy with what's on the menu.

The three alleged front runners (at one time or another) - Rudy Giuliani, varMint Romney and Judas John McCain, are all tanking, or under-performing, to say the least.

Is McCain guy dead in the water right now or what? He's had an embarrassing two weeks, to be kind. His comments before his trip to Baghdad (which in my mind brought about his trip to Iraq in the first place - click here for the embarrassing CNN exchange); his disastrous stroll through a Baghdad market with more security than President Bush; and his lackluster first quarter of fundraising - at $12.5 million.

One under reported aspect of his trip were the boot-licking sycophants that McCain had in tow. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters "I bought five rugs for five bucks!" and Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, likened the scene in the Baghdad market to "a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime." Nice job, guys.

Of course, McCain is trying to put the best spin possible on his Iraqi trip. The beleaguered candidate will appear on 60 Minutes tonight, and according to excerpts released by CBS, McCain is a bit contrite, sort of.

"Of course I am going to misspeak, and I've done it on numerous occasions, and I probably will do it in the future," according to excerpts released by the network.

But McCain also says, according to excerpts, "I believe we can succeed." And he urges viewers to "support this new strategy, let's support this new general and let's give it everything we can to have it succeed."

I'm not buying it, and I really don't believe the American people will either, Senator. How can he still cling to this delusion that we can win in Iraq? It's ridiculous. Polls show that Americans want out now, but that doesn't seem to stop McCain. Unfortunately, the killing in Iraq doesn't stop, either, and it doesn't even seem to be slowing down across the country. Yes, Baghdad may be a little more safe now, but if you look at news reports coming in from around the country, things are worse, not better.

On Friday, a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas into a police checkpoint in western Ramadi, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens, police in the Anbar provincial capital said.

In the southernmost part of the country, the Basra police commander said the type of IED used to kill four British soldiers on Thursday had not been seen in the region previously.

The more things stay the same in Iraq, the more McCain's poll numbers will sink. He has no one to blame but himself - he's tied his candidacy to success in Iraq, and he's been unapologetic about it all along the way.

"My credibility gap is THIS BIG!" It seems that Romney is the latest version of the flip-flopping candidate, who is trying to be all things to all people, which can be a big turn-off to voters. His latest gaffe, answering questions about hunting as it related to gun control, was pretty entertaining. Every candidate will make errors and commit gaffes, on both sides of the political divide during this campaign, but historically he has shown a penchant for switching sides on issues when it's politically convenient. Roll the tape...



Like Rudy, the abortion issue will really hurt him with conservative voters.

"I'm fighting the next reporter who brings up Bernie Kerik!"

Rudy also faces an uphill fight on a number of issues in his battle to woo conservative voters, most notably his stance on gay rights and abortion (both of which I really like about him).

I just can't see conservatives voting for a guy who is pro-choice and pro-gay rights. I love Rudy's positions on these matters, but he has plenty of other problems that would prevent me from voting for him.

For instance, drop 9-11 and what has he done? I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying the whole "September 11" campaign. What's more, once you pick the scab of the feel-good 9-11 pics, you uncover a lot of puss. More on that in a separate post. Actually, I'll be writing about this a lot going forward.

At the top of my book stack is a book on Rudy, specifically about 9-11, that I'm going to read next. Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 should be a good read. I want to know if it's just another Swiftboating hit-job, or if the allegations of incompetence before, during and after 9-11 have merit. I'll be writing plenty more about this book in the weeks ahead.

When looking at the GOP's "Big 3," at first blush, there's a lot to like, considering their stances on some of the issues. Okay, scratch McCain - there's little to like about him. But, Rudy and Mitt do have their pluses; but not enough for me to vote for them - both have big credibility problems, in my book.

However, I'd much rather see Mitt or Rudy be the nominee over the likes of McCain, or heaven forbid, Newt Gingrich.

It makes no difference, though - '08 is a Democratic year.

Top Photo: AP/AFP via HuffPo; Second Photo: WSJ