Tom Piatak

August 19, 2008

After John McCain stated last week that he would not rule out a pro-abortion running mate, NRO featured several articles and comments arguing that this would be a bad idea and focusing on the defects of Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, who are thought to be the two pro-abortion politicians McCain would most likely choose as a running mate (though there has also been speculation that he may be considering Rudy Giuliani as vice president).

The most interesting thing about this commentary is what it shows about the level of trust in McCain.  After all, McCain just squarely told Rev. Rick Warren at his televised forum that he would be a pro-life president.  If the NROites actually trusted McCain, they would view McCain’s professed willingness to consider a pro-abortion running mate as a meaningless gesture intended to convince social liberals to vote for McCain.  That they are instead genuinely concerned that McCain might actually choose a supporter of Roe v Wade to be a “heartbeat away from the presidency” shows just how much the rest of us should trust McCain to be a pro-life president.