Question: "I'd like to know what you consider to be the positives and negatives of McCain relative to the issues. I've done this list over and over and his negatives outweigh his positives for me; the only mitigating factor is when you measure him against Hillary or Obama.

So, how much compromise on your values is too much compromise? When do you draw the line? How do draw the line? Is there a way to draw the line without something worse resulting?" -- aharris

Answer: I think the key thing is for people not to let "perfect be the enemy of the good."

There will be two viable choices in November: John McCain and either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

Does John McCain have tons of negatives? Sure. In fact, if he gets in, I would urge Republicans in Congress not to give him an inch on issues where he disagrees with conservatives. Moreover, if McCain does get in, I think it's entirely possible that conservatives may spend as much time criticizing him as praising him.

But, that's not to say he doesn't have a few things going for him. Starting with the Big 3,

#1) He is a fiscal conservative. I think McCain will take a bite out of earmarks, will genuinely cut government waste, and could very well balance the budget. That's no small thing.

#2) If Hillary or Barack were to get in, everything our troops have fought and died for in Iraq could be gone in a flash as he or she begins a politically motivated pull-out. McCain, on the other hand, will hang in there until the war is won.

#3) If Hillary or Barack gets in, he or she will appoint ultra-left-wing judges who'll make their decisions based on liberalism, not the Constitution. McCain on the other hand, has pledged to appoint originalists like Roberts and Alito. Given that McCain has made that promise many times, that it would be a political disaster for him to appoint a SCOTUS judge undesirable to conservatives, and that he did vote for Alito and Roberts, I think he will probably appoint judges that would make conservatives happy.

Just think about those 3 issues and how much of a difference it will make whether a man like McCain is in there or a liberal like Hillary or BO is in charge. Even if McCain had positions identically to the Dems on everything else, it would be worth it to put him in office just for those 3 reasons.

PS: As far as compromise goes, I firmly believe that there is a good time for conservatives to try to knock off RINOS; that time is during the primaries and unfortunately, it has already passed. All we can do now is make the best of a less than ideal situation.