Here's left-wing uber-genius Ariana Huffington, the woman who runs a liberal blog even more popular than the Daily Kos, showing that even some of the biggest and most popular liberals analysts don't have the most basic understanding of conservative politics,

"McCain's Fall a Warning to All GOP Candidates: Support the War at Your Own Risk

John McCain's cratering campaign is an object lesson in how to kill a candidacy in three simple steps: 1) locate the biggest foreign policy disaster in U.S. history 2) embrace it 3) implode. (Bonus step: spend money like you are Paul Bremmer).

McCain's fate should be a warning to all Republicans seeking office in 2008: continue to back the president's war policy at your own risk.

McCain's fall has been precipitous -- tumbling from establishment GOP front-runner to single-digit also-ran." (Hawkins' note: McCain is actually still in 3rd place, and in double digits in most national polls)

But Ariana, dah-ling, nobody in the top tier of the GOP supports cutting & running or setting a timeline -- so how can that be responsible for killing McCain's campaign?

Ariana goes on to say that the other candidates have distanced themselves from the surge more than McCain, but the reality is that all of them, McCain, Thompson, Rudy, Romney, and even Newt, have essentially the same position on the war.

If you want to know what has ripped McCain apart, look at the major issue that featured McCain zigging while all the candidates above zagged -- illegal immigration. McCain was one of the primary supporters of the Senate amnesty bill while all the other candidates above opposed it. That has been what has done so much damage to McCain of late with conservatives, not the war.

I consult for the Duncan Hunter campaign.