Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 2/24/2000

AUSTIN -- Like all the other political junkies, I am just loving this -- wow,
a white-hot primary, pollsters confounded, pundits wrong, he's up, no, he's down,
the people calling the shots, experts looking like fools. What fun.

One must admit about our boy George Dubya, that if you can't even
get a two-day bounce -- from Saturday in South Carolina to Tuesday
in Michigan -- after spending $30 million, you could be in trouble.

What a slugfest that was in South Carolina; -- the best East Texas campaign
I've seen in years. Open thuggery! John McCain accused Bush of being like
Bill Clinton (horror of horrors), while Bush's supporters were accusing McCain
of being gay, a womanizer, having a Jewish campaign chairman, a black daughter
and a drug-addict wife. Boy, that was some goin' there.
The Bushies must be proud of that one.

The great mystery at this point is why so many Republicans are still voting for Bush on the
theory that he's their strongest candidate. One can see why the big-money Republicans are
still for him -- McCain actually threatens to do something about big money in politics.
But what about the rest of the R's?

The D's have had this figured out for weeks.
McCain is their worst nightmare -- there goes every independent vote in the country.
Unless the R's decide to vote for Al Gore, McCain is your heavy favorite.

Bush is so certain that McCain is the stronger candidate that he's busy turning himself
into McCain. The last three weeks have been the ultimate morph ad, as Dubya started
adopting all McCain's themes and tactics. "The real reformer," "a reformer with results,"
and (most priceless of all) "in favor of campaign finance reform."

What a wheeze. Bush is the most status quo, establishment candidate imaginable.
But South Carolina certainly proves that some people will believe anything.