I was critical of McCain when Ross, Brooks, and others were praising him. ~Mark Levin

The first part is certainly true, and I recall that Levin was among the most hostile critics of McCain at NRO, but this line of defense, echoed by some of the other targets of Ross’ criticism, is a rather odd one.  The argument goes something like this: “We never wanted McCain and thought he would be awful, but once he was the nominee we got behind him, while the people who argued for him or sympathized more with him are breaking with him or attacking him at this late stage.”  As a description of what has happened, this seems fair and largely accurate, though I am taxing my memory trying to come up with any occasions when Ross heaped praise on McCain.  I was in the same room at CPAC when I believe he said that he would vote for him, but that was about the extent of the “praise” I have heard from him. 

What is odd about Levin’s defense is that you would think that the most vocal anti-McCain critics would be feeling vindicated by the man’s shambolic campaign, while you might expect various “reformist” conservatives to make Gerson-like excuses for him (the short version of which is that McCain had to cope with reality and was overwhelmed).  Here is why, on the whole, the reverse is happening: McCain’s mainstream conservative critics never expected anything good from him in terms of policy, and have rallied to him primarily to stop Obama and so they seem most intent on encouraging the campaign to obsess about Obama’s character and associations.  Meanwhile the “reformists” held out some hope that McCain’s reform mantra would turn into a coherent policy message that would address present challenges, and they are therefore annoyed or perhaps even embarrassed by the triviality and aimlessness of the campaign.  The “reformists” are much more likely to hold McCain responsible for squandering what they saw as a real opportunity, while his long-time critics had no illusions about McCain and cannot be disappointed in him.  Regardless, they are preoccupied with vilifying informing voters about Obama. 

In the end, McCain confirmed many of his own critics’ arguments with his message-free, incoherent, largely negative campaign, but he is doomed to disappoint them as well because he will never be willing to go quite as far as they want him to in attacking Obama.  If former admirers have turned to criticism or even decided to back his opponent, this is a measure of how badly McCain has failed, even if their expectations of him were far too high.  He has alienated some of the people who are normally most sympathetic to him and his kind of Republicanism and he has been winning the half-hearted support of those who never wanted him and who tolerate him only because it is necessary.