A Running Commentary

You know that scene in Hoosiers? Gene Hackman, as the new basketball coach, faces down the chants of the Hickory faithful lamenting the absence of high school phenom Jimmy Chitwood. Hackman shouts down the disparaging crowd; “I’d hoped you support who we are, not who we are not.”

As the Republicans figure out how to sell McCain not only to America but also to their own party, one wouldn’t blame Republicans for raising the same chant in 2008.

“Jimmy” is not likely a frequent nickname for James A. Baker III but the sentiment rings true nonetheless. Baker is simply, in the past words of James Carville, “the gold standard”. This is the man who all but guided Gerald Ford to victory of Jimmy Carter despite the Nixon pardon. His steady hand was on the wheel of the Reagan/Bush campaign machines. In his spare time, he also managed to oversee the downfall of Communism. The man is the embodiment of a heavyweight.

Unfortunately, Baker is busy being 77 and authoring memoirs titled Work Hard, Study…and Stay Out Of Politics! It’s fair to say he’s not available. Republicans are probably stuck saying, as Coach Norman Dale did, “our team is on the floor”.