The near-annihilation of John McCain by the Bush clan in the 2000 presidential GOP primary left him with one critically important asset: his reputation as an unconventional and principled Republican. This, of course, was precisely what the hard-core conservative crowd wooed by George W. Bush disliked about him. But it was what appealed to independents and moderate Democrats, and so the McCain brand was successfully launched nationally despite the stinging defeat.
The brand thrived over the next eight years, even as...
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