I doubt he will be able to persuade us that he’s changed and I would be surprised if he becomes the candidate of the Christian conservatives. He couldn’t close the deal in 2000, why would anyone think he would be able to do it now? Especially when you factor in the gang of 14 and campaign finance reform.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has continued his courtship of socially conservative and evangelical voters by hiring faith guru Marlene Elwell. Elwel who was an advisor to the Christian Coalition in the 1990s and a member of President Reagan’s National Advisory Council, will help direct McCain’s work with coalitions as well as serve as the national director of the Americans of Faith coalition for McCain’s exploratory committee.

“Senator McCain has a proven track record of supporting conservative causes, and is the principled voice our party and nation needs,” said Elwell.
Political handicappers view McCain’s mixed history with social conservatives as one of the biggest obstacles to his bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nominations. Many conservatives, especially anti-abortion rights activists, are still angry at McCain for his authorship of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which they regard as an unconstitutional muzzle on their speech rights.
McCain has sought to repair the relationship by dropping his support for a lobbying disclosure proposal that would have required grassroots groups to reveal their funding sources. Socially conservative leaders such as Dr. James Dobson have spoken out against the proposal, which senators voted to strip from a lobbying reform package passed last month.