THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

If John McCain becomes president next year, he’ll have a solid fan base among Costa Mesa’s movers and shakers.

That was the conclusion Friday at the South Coast Metro Alliance’s luncheon at the Westin South Coast Plaza, where public affairs consultant Paul Freeman conducted a mock presidential primary. Freeman, a former Laguna Beach mayor, circulated Republican, Democratic and general election ballots among more than 100 attendees — and when officials tallied the results, McCain had wiped out his Republican challengers and beaten Democrat Hillary Clinton by three votes.

The members of the South Coast Metro Alliance — a group of political and business leaders from Costa Mesa and south Santa Ana — elected Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket, although on the general ballot, with only one vote permitted, Clinton led all Democrats in votes. Among those voting were Costa Mesa City Council members and officials from South Coast Plaza, the SoBeCa District and several upscale hotels.

Freeman said he also expected McCain and Clinton to score their parties’ nominations, although he added that Obama could squeak out a tight victory. He declined, though, to make a prediction until weeks before the election.

ROHRABACHER BLASTS BUSH

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher lashed out at President Bush this week, alleging his “wrong-headedness” on immigration issues was a factor in the apparent slaying of a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.

A Hummer allegedly transporting drugs into the U.S. veered off-road when its driver realized he was being trailed by Border Patrol agents, according to news reports.

Agent Luis Aguilar laid road-spikes to intercept the vehicle when it seemed to veer in an attempt to intentionally hit and kill the six-year veteran, according to Rohrabacher.

Rohrabacher ripped Bush in the past over the prosecutions of Ignacio Ramos and José Compeán — two border patrol agents convicted of shooting an unarmed drug dealer in 2005. He linked the death of Aguilar to a culture of fear that followed the conviction of Ramos and Compeán, saying Border Patrol agents are afraid to use their weapons, whereas criminals crossing the border have become emboldened.

“There is a deteriorating situation in Mexico and along our border, and the death of Agent Aguilar underscores the chaos that’s emerging there,” Rohrabacher said. “This is far from an isolated instance.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the last Border Patrol agent slain in the line of duty was Susan Lynn Rodriguez, on July 7, 1998.

MOORLACH GIVES INTERIM SHERIFF A CHANCE

Supervisor John Moorlach said Wednesday he’s willing to cut Orange County interim Sheriff Jack Anderson some slack after he criticized a rival for the interim post while Anderson was in uniform at a San Clemente city council meeting.

“I would think maybe he made an amateur mistake and that won’t happen again,” Moorlach said. “Being in uniform is a tactic to send a subliminal message, and it’s very effective.”

The state attorney general is investigating whether Anderson broke the law when he wore his Orange County sheriff’s uniform in November to a San Clemente City Council meeting and tried to convince officials not to endorse former Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Hunt as sheriff. State law forbids law enforcement officials who aren’t elected to office from making political speeches in uniform.

The newly appointed interim sheriff made the appeal to the council shortly after now-resigned Sheriff Michael Carona was indicted on corruption charges. Anderson has said since the meeting that he will seek to have the “interim” removed from his title. Hunt is one of several job candidates.

“Coming in full regalia — that’s an interesting strategy,” Moorlach said.

PAGING BRUCE WILLIS

While Rohrabacher may dismiss the threat of man-made global warming, there is one threat to the planet he’s taking seriously.

The Near-Earth Object Preparedness Act (HR 4917), submitted for consideration by Rep. Rohrabacher’s office, seeks to establish “The Office of Potentially Hazardous Near-Earth Object Preparedness,” a federal office charged with the task of “selecting a set of deflection proposals that will provide the best opportunities for deflection-preparation.”

In English? Rohrabacher wants the government to have detailed plans for knocking an incoming asteroid out of the sky by 2010.

“[Rohrabacher has] been concerned with our lack of planning for a near-earth object for some time now,” spokeswoman Tara Setmayer said. “There’s been a fight within NASA as to whether this is something NASA should be concerned with, but we just want to get a plan in place — we don’t care who does it.”

Such a collision is deemed “extremely unlikely” by NASA’s Near Earth Object Program website.

“If an object is verified to be on an Earth-colliding trajectory, it seems likely that this collision possibility will be known several years prior to the actual event,” according to NASA. “Given several years’ warning time, existing technology could be used to deflect the threatening object away from Earth.”