What a Pool Believes

Slate's Bruce Reed notices that Maverick John McCain's NCAA picks - laid out for the world to see on his Riefenstahlian interweb hub - are incredibly conservative.

It would be hard to come up with more conservative picks. McCain has all four number-one seeds going to the Final Four. That's never happened in NCAA history, and it's a classic frontrunner strategy sure to lose the office pool. His longest shot in the Elite Eight is a third seed, Washington State; the rest are first or second seeds. The Arizona senator doesn't even choose his home state Wildcats to knock off top-seeded Florida. Straight talk, or a savvy play for Florida's Super Tuesday primary? You make the call.

Worth pointing out that "taking so few risks that he hurts his chances of winning" is a pretty good summation of McCain's Last Stand (a.k.a. the 2008 campaign).

Take advantage of an old man's folly and sign up for the pool. Quick: Before McCain changes his mind and decides to ban them again!

"Who cares?" you shout. "I want to read or re-read Matt Welch's blockbuster McCain cover story!" Well, here you go.