If there were any lingering doubts about John McCain being a conservative leader in the GOP, although I don't see how that's possible, he certainly put those to rest in a recent New Republic interview.
Asked about his vote if the 2016 election came down to Rand Paul or Hillary Clinton, McCain chuckled that it would be "a tough decision". This could be written off as McCain just being cheeky, but for his effusive praise of Hillary, at one point calling her a "rock star". All this, while lumping in Rand Paul with Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, whom he has called a "wacko bird, in a discussion about Marco Rubio's "bright future" in the GOP.
So according to John McCain, Rand Paul and others in the GOP who actually stand up for the conservative principles of small government and secure borders don't have a bright future in the GOP.
Others whom McCain named on his list of the right kind of people were Lindsay Graham ("like a son to me"), Kelly Ayotte (turncoat who ran as a "Tea Party" candidate), the despicable Chuck Schumer, and equally abhorrent Carl "Leaky" Levin ("as close as two people can be").
I have news for Senator McCain. These so-called "wacky birds" (read: conservatives) might just have a much brighter future than he gives them credit for. Not because they, like he, are willing to compromise their principles, but because they refuse to, at least for now. On the other hand, it is the John McCain's, Lindsay Graham's, John Boehnor's, and Chris Christie's of the party who need to be looking over their shoulder come 2014 and 2016.
Conservatives are pissed. There will be more than a few establishment RINO's primary'd in upcoming elections, and Senator McCain will hopefully be one of them.
