John McCain is officially Lazarus.
He died a political death but came back to life and has won the Republican nomination. Winning in Texas and Ohio tonight clinched it.
Mike Huckabee is getting out tonight. More on that in a separate post. Let me say a few things about McCain's presidential run.
John McCain won because it was the "perfect storm."
Just go through the list. First of all, there was no perfect GOP candidate out there. Not even close. Romney, Thompson, Giuliani and Huckabee all had problems. So did McCain, but his big ones went away.
For example, the immigration issue left the headlines and the surge in Iraq was successful. Also, only Romney went negative on McCain. The rest of the candidates never did.
In a way, the McCain summer implosion helped him. It allowed him to fly under the radar and let McCain go back to being McCain. It also left the media doing "bash Romney" stories -and there was plenty of material (and McCain was left with the "comeback" stories, not the scrutiny stories.)
Here's my take on the key moment for McCain: South Carolina.
Huckabee gave him a battle and could have gone negative. He didn't. It was an admirable race in a crucial southern state. McCain won, fair and square and it turned the race in his favor.
South Carolina did him in eight years ago. In 2008, it propelled him to the nomination. (By the way, a close second key moment was the endorsement of Florida Governor Charlie Crist.)
Finally, let me just say this. Don't underestimate the "POW American hero" narrative that John McCain brings to the General Election. This is his winning ticket.
I know a lot of people will say his independent, maverick streak helps him immensely. It does. But McCain's hero story resonates. It is the emotional connection that he needs, especially if he goes up against the emotional thumping Obama.
John McCain earned this nomination the hard way. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised because McCain has faced tough battles his whole life.
And you know what? He's still standing…and smiling.