I will admit that, thus far, McCain has not yet dived head first into the all-fear-mongering-all-the-tim­e campaigning that Romney and Giuliani were neck deep in. But he's getting there. The president himself is starting this cycle up with his speech to the Knesset, in which his comment about appeasement echoed Romney's pathetic assertion that a democratic victory in November would be a "surrender to Jihadism."

McCain will necessarily get dragged into painting Obama as a friend of Amedinijhad, Al Sadr, and Nasrallah. The Sean Hannitys and Ann Coulters of the republican base that he will need to have an electoral chance will demand a dirty campaign. Republicans salivated over the swift-boat campaign of 2004, not because it made them look good, or because it was particularly relevant (and certainly not because it was true), but because it was the kind of vindictive red-meat that is necessary to get modern conservatives interested.

McCain has been attempting to run a genuinely clean campaign. He's been trying to be optimistic, as the "2013" speech pointed out. Unfortunately, this isn't going to work for him because it doesn't draw blood. And that means talkin' terrorism. McCain will have to try and make the case that the Bush administration's war policies have made us safer, which most americans don't agree with. He will have to make the case that homeland security is capable of responding to a potential attack - again, not a strong point from Bush. And he will have to make the case that "negotiating" means talking to your enemies without any plans or making any demands of your own. Most Americans can pick up a dictionary.

Now I certainly hope McCain proves me wrong and does not descend into the race to the bottom that has characterized post-Karl Rove politics. Because if he did, and ran a respectable campaign, he would alienate most of his constituents and end up losing.