Politics: The Mitt and McCain Show

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Politics The Mitt and McCain Show Can the former New Hampshire darling convince the state to embrace an establishment candidate? By John Dickerson Posted Thursday, Jan 05, 2012, at 12:38 AM ET PETERBOROUGH, N.H.—John McCain hugged Mitt Romney today as he endorsed his campaign. Four years ago, he wanted to hug Romney long enough to stop his breathing. The bitter rivals from the 2008 campaign now have a common enemy: Barack Obama. So while McCain once accused Romney of Chamberlain-like weakness in Iraq, the two have now aligned to bash the incumbent for his handling of the withdrawal from that country. Bygones. But if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it does not mean he's my boon companion. McCain, a hero in New Hampshire who won here in 2000 and 2008, joined this year's front runner at his first event in Manchester to solidify Romney's standing in a state where he leads in the polls by more than 20 points. Still, it was a synthetic graft, kicked off by the cringe-worthy playing of Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" from Top Gun, presumably a reference to Mr. McCain's service as a naval aviator. McCain repeatedly referred to having had "numerous conversations" with Romney on issues like taxation and immigration in a way that made it sound like those conversations numbered zero. If McCain was there to sprinkle his special magic, former Gov. John Sununu was there to shore up Romney's credentials. In his introduction, Sununu repeatedly referred to Romney as a "true conservative" for standing up for traditional marriage and against those who would expand abortion rights. The crowd was small and subdued. Maybe they ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Lithwick: The Awesome Montana Judges Who Just Said Hell No to Citizens United Learn Programming in 2012. It Will Make You More Employable—and It's Kind of Fun. Why Do Women Vote Differently Than Men?	Advertisement
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