If conservatives have any hope of keeping the liberals out
of office next November, they need to get behind John McCain.

Suffice it to say, conservative voters have not exactly had
a dream ticket of candidates to choose from in the 2008 presidential campaign.
True conservatives like Fred Thompson ran lackluster campaigns that failed to
generate any real momentum.

Big-name candidate Rudy Giuliani, although not exactly the
idyllic conservative candidate, had his chance but squandered the opportunity
with his curious campaign strategy.

Mitt Romney, also a true conservative, just did not have
what it took to get the job done. With the war chest of campaign money he had
at his disposal, if he could not convince enough conservatives to vote for him
in the primary, there is no way he would stand a chance in the general
election.

While Mike Huckabee has run a spirited campaign, even with
his conservative record, he just does not have the power to win in the general
election. He must realize that there is still a northern part of the country
and that all Americans are not evangelical Christians.

That leaves John McCain, who has come on strong after a weak
start to his campaign. McCain, while enjoying recent success in the primaries,
has seen his conservative credentials come under attack. Conservative critics
such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter have blasted Mr. McCain on his more
moderate voting record as an Arizona senator. Granted, Mr. McCain is no Ronald
Reagan, but he is the only Republican candidate that stands a legitimate chance
of winning in the general election.

In an election where Hillary Clinton is the frontrunner, it
is time that conservatives stand up and ask, ?What is best for this country??
If the conservative base decides not to support Mr. McCain, the nation will
surely be left with the worst possible scenario for a conservative: Hillary
Clinton.

Given her plan to withdraw from Iraq, her pro-gay marriage
views and her plan to essentially socialize health care, which would lead to an
unprecedented tax increase, it is easy to see that she butts heads with even
moderate conservatives on many issues.

With his more moderate stance on many issues, Mr. McCain
will be able to appeal to moderate voters who are yet to decide who they will
vote for. Generally speaking, the moderates are the ones who determine the
victors in presidential elections. A candidate like Ms. Clinton, on the other
hand, is so liberal and polarizing that she will alienate this middle ground.

Additionally, while some conservative critics? attacks on
Mr. McCain?s more moderate record are warranted, he is conservative where it
matters as president. Critics claim that some of Mr. McCain?s domestic policies
and votes in the Senate have been more moderate.

But there is no doubt that when it comes to foreign policy,
Mr. McCain has advanced conservative principles. The president does not dictate
domestic policy anyway, Congress does. Yes, the president usually either takes
the blame or the credit for domestic policies, but in reality these issues are
usually brought to the forefront by legislators representing their individual
constituencies and then signed-off on by the president. The president can push
for certain domestic actions, but they go nowhere without congressional
support.

The president?s real power comes in the realm of foreign
policy because, despite argument at home about what is to be done abroad, the
president can generally act a little more independently from Congress in this
arena. He represents the unified front of American foreign policy to the world.

Mr. McCain is committed to winning the war in Iraq and
combating terror around the world. And given his meritorious record of military
service, Mr. McCain knows what it will take to win, and he is the kind of
candidate that this country needs in charge in a time of war. It is safe to say
that he has sterling conservative credentials in this department.

Furthermore, Mr. McCain has always advocated fiscal and
personal responsibility, lower taxes and gun rights ? issues that true
conservatives hold dear. More importantly, Mr. McCain is not just a puppet of
his party like many politicians are.

In his tenure as a senator, he has always stood up for what
he thought was right for this country, not just for what he thought was right
for his party or the lobbyists that support it. His bipartisan leadership has
transcended party lines, and he has stuck to his own principles. This is the
kind of man the country needs right now.

John McCain, unlike democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton
or many of his conservative colleagues, has the ability to unify, not just
Republicans or Democrats, but all Americans.

It is time that conservative voters begin to look beyond the
primary to see what awaits them in the national election. If they choose not to
vote for Mr. McCain because he is ?not conservative enough,? then they will
essentially be casting their vote for Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama. Right-wing
voters must ask themselves if they would rather have a moderate conservative or
an extreme liberal in the Oval Office. The risk of not voting for Mr. McCain is
far too great.

Realistically, Mr. McCain is the Republican Party?s best
hope for victory in November, and he is the best choice for this country. America
needs a leader that will unify, not polarize. Thus, all conservatives must
rally their support behind Mr. McCain.

If they do not, they will find another Clinton in the White
House.

?

Joe Trovato ([email protected])
is a junior majoring in journalism.