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McCain easing into role of GOP leader
2008-04-04
John McCain, a longtime Republican Party agitator, is easing into the role of its newfound leader. He has met abroad with world leaders, intensified fundraising and taken control of the party apparatus. He is thinking about running mates and is introducing himself to the country. He's also made a few missteps and watched a challenging political terrain that favors Democrats grow more troublesome for the GOP. "We're making the kind of progress I think needs to be made," the senator from Arizona said this week, expressing confidence -- despite the private concerns of some Republicans -- that his team is embracing the opportunity afforded him as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama continue to spar for the Democratic nod. "We've done a pretty good job of unifying our party. Now we've got to energize our party." In the month since he clinched the GOP nomination and his White House campaign entered a new phase, McCain has moved forward on all fronts -- from message to mechanics -- to position himself for November's general election. His first stretch as the GOP's nominee-in-waiting, however, has not been without hiccups. McCain faced fallout from an endorsement by a televangelist who has made anti-Catholic comments and confronted questions about his ties to lobbyists. He invited criticism with a speech that derided aggressive federal intervention in the housing crisis but offered no immediate relief for homeowners threatened with foreclosure. And, he mistakenly said Iran was allowing al-Qaida fighters into its country to be trained and returned to Iraq. At the same time, the landscape became more problematic for Republicans. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said this week for the first time that a recession is possible, and the government rescued investment house Bear Stearns from collapse as the housing and credit crises continue to roil Wall Street. The Iraq war entered its sixth year and U.S. troop deaths topped 4,000 amid renewed violence in the southern Shiite region and the shelling of the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad. In spite of the hurdles, McCain said: "I'm glad to be where we are. We're going to keep working hard." Polls show McCain would be in strong contention with either Clinton or Obama in a head-to-head matchup. Nonetheless, Democratic loyalists appear far more enthusiastic -- and willing to donate -- than the GOP rank-and-file, while President Bush's support remains low and most people say the country is on the wrong track amid the unpopular Iraq war and fragile economy. Still, McCain has had the luxury of focusing on the general election while his Democratic rivals remain embroiled in a tight contest. Each Democrat props up McCain daily, assailing him in hopes of appearing to be the strongest one to take him on in November. "John McCain wants to continue the war in Iraq. I want to end it," Obama said this week. And, Clinton launched an ad in Pennsylvania that claims "John McCain just said the government shouldn't take any real action on the housing crisis, he'd let the phone keep ringing." As Democrats bicker, McCain has focused on these areas: _Money. Fundraising is arguably his biggest weakness and, thus, highest priority. He raised only $11 million in February to a combined $80 million for Clinton and Obama, and has been slow to sign up many of Bush's big donors. Obama reported raising $40 million in March; Clinton said she raised $20 million. McCain is likely to surpass his February total but still trail his rivals. He held dozens of fundraisers last month and set up joint fundraising accounts with the Republican National Committee to encourage donations. _Unity. Trying to heal wounds from a divisive GOP primary was a high priority for a candidate who has spent decades bucking the party on issues that resonate with conservatives. In hopes of getting critics to swing behind him, McCain appeared with Bush in the White House Rose Garden and received Nancy Reagan's endorsement. He also campaigned with former GOP rival Mitt Romney to show solidarity. _Message. Speaking to a broader electorate, McCain, a former Navy pilot held prisoner during the Vietnam War, has cast himself as an experienced wartime commander in chief and statesman with his own vision, despite Democratic efforts to paint him as a Bush clone. McCain visited the Middle East, including Iraq, and Europe, where he met with allies. Stateside, he embarked on a weeklong biographical tour and began an ad campaign. _Structure. McCain has dispatched four high-level allies to the RNC -- Frank Donatelli, Lew Eisenberg, Carly Fiorina and Mike DuHaime -- to meld its fundraising, get-out-the-vote and party-building operations with his own growing organization. His northern Virginia headquarters has hired more staffers and is creating offices in 10 regions of the country to decentralize the campaign. _Vice President. McCain has a list of some 20 names from which he could choose a running mate and says he's in the "embryonic stages" of selecting someone. Aides say little to no significant vetting has occurred. The goal is to select someone before the nominating convention in early September, and McCain says he's mindful of the enhanced importance of the task because of his age. He is 71 and would be the oldest president elected.
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