No heaven on earth

Politics: With Romney down and McCain up, conservative evangelical leaders scramble for leverage. What must the maverick do to win the right? | Jamie Dean

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter thinks Sen. Hillary Clinton is "a creepy person," but she contends that Sen. John McCain is worse: "I would vote for the devil over John McCain."

Republican radio host Rush Limbaugh says that McCain will destroy the Republican Party by seeking the presidential nomination, and he offers this reason: The senator aims to exact revenge for a nasty primary battle he lost in South Carolina eight years ago.

On the campaign trail, McCain says he doesn't sweat the vitriol: "I don't even listen to Rush. . . . I'm not a masochist."

McCain could afford that cheekiness after snatching up several hundred delegates in primaries across the country and watching his most serious opponent, Mitt Romney, drop out of the race this month. But he can't afford it for long: The Republican front-runner may not listen to Limbaugh, but if he wants to win the White House, he can't tune out conservative angst over his surprising surge.