How McCain helps Cameron
John McCain’s victory last night and the fact that he is now the most likely Republican nominee is great news for those on the centre right who value the special relationship. McCain translates in a way that George W. Bush simply does not and will be far harder to demonise than the current president. British leaders will not have to fear the political effects of being seen with McCain.
On a more substantive level, McCain is good news for Atlanticists Conservatives. First, McCain understands how to fight this war better than any other candidate and the current president. Second, McCain is defining a new agenda for the centre right that could help David Cameron. Cameron has rightly grasped that the Tories need to show that they care about the environment but so far there has been little policy beef to accompany this, the only ideas that seem to be doing the rounds in Tory circles are of the hair shirt variety. McCain’s emphasis on how tackling global warming can actually spur economic growth and the potential of green technology should show Cameron how to talk about this issue.
We can only hope that Cameron will also pay attention to McCain’s views on the war. The Tory party, with a few honourable exceptions, has abandoned the Iraq war and has hardly been supportive of the surge. But what the new strategy has demonstrated is that defeat was not inevitable.