Clinton vs McCain?

Hillary has regained her footing after an initial slip in Iowa against Barack Obama.

And now, John McCain looks to be moving into poll position among the Republican candidates.

His latest ad in Florida portrays him as the Republican candidate that Democrats fear most.

But you don’t just have to take McCain’s word for it. Just look at the Republican field which only a week or so ago seemed to offer five potential candidates.

Now Fred Thompson’s dropped out, Rudy Giuliani is lagging, and Mike Huckabee has yet to convince anyone who doesn’t believe in Creationism that he stands a chance in hell of making it to the White House.

Which leaves Mitt Romney. But leaving aside his Mormonism and his u-turns on abortion and same sex marriage, can this guy really make it to the White House? He’s as wooden as the paneling of the boardroom at Bain & Company.

At the debate in Florida tonight, at least one person thought Romney squeaked ahead. But others found the whole process a waste of time.

And sure, the Florida primary is going to be close and McCain has more than enough enemies in the Republican party. But it does seem as though he really is the person best positioned to take on the Democratic nominee. (As if he needed more proof the new York Times cites a recent Gallup poll showing that McCain could beat Clinton or Obama in a two-horse race.)

As if to add fuel to McCain’s “I can do it” fire, the Times comes out in (tacit) support of McCain today, endorsing him as the best republican candidate among a poor bunch:

We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president.

[…]Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.

An endorsement from the Times. Perhaps the worst thing that’s happened to John McCain in the last, long week.

DISCLAIMER: This posting was submitted by a user of the site not from The Insider editorial staff. All users have acknowledged and agreed that the submission of their story and its contents is in compliance with our Terms of Use.