Judging by columns like this, talk radio, some right-wing blogs, and reader mail, John McCain still faces considerable opposition from conservatives. That opposition may be strong enough to deny him the GOP nomination. But, if he won the nomination, would such opposition be strong enough to deny him the presidency? Ramesh Ponnuru is skeptical:
With the great exception of immigration, McCain's heterodoxies are not issues that conservatives tend to vote on. They're not going to leave a Republican nominee over global warming or campaign-finance reform. The question then becomes how many conservatives would stay home out of disgust at his position on immigration. I haven't seen any data that make me think the answer to that question is 'a lot of them.'
Which is why those conservatives most opposed to a McCain presidency are rallying behind his chief opponent for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney.