Many have speculated that Hillary Clinton, if she loses the nomination, would just as soon have John McCain win in November, allowing her to stage her comeback effort (i.e. the “I told you so” campaign) in 2012. The 3 a.m. ad and her comments regarding McCain’s preparation to be commander-in-chief suggest her efforts are designed to help McCain as much as they are meant to tear down Barack Obama. And now Bill Clinton is singing McCain’s praises. ABC news reports:

But McCain, who Mr. Clinton said is a “moderate”, “has given about all you can give for this country without dyin’ for it.” He said McCain was on the right side of issues like being against torture of enemy combatants and global warming, which “just about crosses the bridge for them (Republicans).”

One could imagine if the GOP primary were still going on that this would be a sly attempt to sink McCain with conservatives. But now it is hard to figure why Bill would be bolstering McCain on precisely those issues McCain himself will highlight as he seeks to make inroads with independent voters. Without buying into any tin-foil hat conspiracy theories, one could conclude that the Clintons like and respect McCain more than Obama. And a chunk of their voters, as we saw in recent polls, agree.