John McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night, after voters in Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and Texas helped him receive just over the requisite 1,191 GOP delegates. McCain's win is an extraordinary comeback since his White House hopes were dashed eight years ago.

Now that the Arizona senator has all but officially won the GOP nomination, he can count on George W. Bush as one of his many supporters. The President gave his endorsement to McCain at what the Chicago Tribune calls "a carefully choreographed Rose Garden event". The two embraced each other for a handshake and stood side by side for the media photo-op.

What Tami Said had this to say:

Why are these men hugging? I mean it is rumored that President George Bush and John McCain loathe each other. Despite McCain's recent pandering to conservatives, he was a vocal critic of many of Bush's policies. McCain can cozy up to Bush because that's how politics works. That's how power works. Bush and McCain have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

Many Republican voters are still not certain that McCain is the right candidate to hold the highest office of the land.

Judy Aron writes:

John McCain and the rest of the Republican "leadership" keep saying how everyone in the Conservative base is rallying around McCain and that all is forgiven and that everyone is "coming home", and that John McCain really is a Conservative worthy of the Republican nomination. The media is more than happy to report that as well. If they say it long enough perhaps it'll convince everyone that it is true, or that they should follow suit. Truth is if you put lipstick on a pig - it's still a pig.

Wisco writes:

He kind of won his nomination by default. His only real competition was awful -- Mitt Romney's votes were almost entirely votes purchased, Rudy Giuliani basically threw his lead away with a boneheaded single-state strategy, and Fred Thompson couldn't be roused from his nap long enough to meet expectations. Huckabee was never a serious challenger and his only real claim to fame was that he won Iowa, so long ago. In retrospect, McCain had to win, being the only GOP candidate who wasn't a clown. He may have been down earlier, but the other candidates -- driven mostly by ego -- couldn't possibly have continued without screwing up. The vain believe their decisions are brilliant, even when they're not.

Huckabee supporters are saddened by the former Arkansas governor's withdrawal from the race.

Stacy Harp writes:

Tonight my favorite candidate for President, Mike Huckabee, graciously stepped out after John McCain won enough delegates to become the nominee. Like many other social conservatives, I am not crazy about McCain as the candidate of choice at this point. And prior to the primaries I had been a registered Independent. I had to register again as a Republican so I could vote for Huckabee, which I did. Now I have to make a choice. Should I remain a Republican and put my support behind McCain or should I register again as an Independent.

Some Hucksters believe John McCain should consider Mike Huckabee as his runningmate, still others think he's not the best choice..

Webutante writes:

McCain needs to seriously consider the only real, viable VP candidate to run with him in November and that's Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has dropped out of the presidential race and now should be McCain's running mate. He's up for the race, has name and media recognition and will carry and deliver the Southern and Evangelical vote. He also appeals to anyone who wants to transform the tax system, which is almost everyone. He is a master communicator with a great sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself. That plays well in this insufferably serious, polarized political climate. One last very superficial thing. Mike, like Mitt, has brown hair, is younger and generally would be a good pick to complement McCain at 71.

Nashville's The City Paper speculates:

Mike Huckabee’s southern appeal may not win him the Republican nomination, but it could get him on the ticket. While success in southern states on ‘Super Tuesday’ helped Huckabee’s own presidential bid, it also may have improved his chances of becoming Sen. John McCain’s running mate.

From the blog My Observations:

Could Huckabee be Robin to McCain’s Batman? He is from the south, a strong pro-lifer, and a “Christian” - all qualities that McCain might be looking for. Then again Huckabee is a real flake and when pressed about his views, he changes them quicker than Dolly Patron changes wigs. So Huckabee is out.

From Reach Upward:

The main role a VP candidate plays during the campaign is to shore up the party base. They are sort of a cheer leader for the base. Wise candidates select running mates that provide the appearance to the base of balancing out the candidate’s perceived shortcomings. Reagan picked Bush I to reassure the moderate wing of the GOP, which had been strong prior to Nixon’s demise. As a moderate, Bush I picked conservative Quayle. That didn’t work out so well, because Quayle was not known for his conservative leadership. As a moderate Democrat, Clinton selected Gore, a solid liberal. Compassionate conservative Bush II partnered with Cheney, a defense hawk. In each case, the candidate selected a running mate that was to help energize the registered party members. The question then is whether Huckabee can energize the GOP base in ways that McCain cannot. On this point we must say that the answer is no.

Nicole Belle writes:

Now that John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination, the focus moves to who he will choose as his running mate. Will he choose someone who offsets his age, his lack of appeal to the Religious Right faction of the party (what, Hagee isn’t good enough for you people?), his perceived lesser conservatism (because wanting to be in Iraq for a 100 years doesn’t quite cut it, you have to want to fence the US off from Mexico too, apparently) or perhaps a minority or woman to counteract the Democratic ticket? McCain has set up a committee to look into different methodologies of picking that running mate.

"I understand the responsibilities I incur with this nomination, and I give you my word I will not evade or slight a single one," McCain said in his victory speech to cheering supporters in Dallas. "Our campaign must be and will be more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound bites or useless arguments from the past that address not a single American's concerns for their family's security."

Only time will tell if John McCain will make good on his Republican promises. At least we have the close race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to keep us occupied until then!