McCain Says He'll Have "Respectful" Debate with Huckabee

By: Andante Higgins
Topics: John McCain

(CBS)

From CBS News' Dante Higgins:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the news of Mitt Romney suspending his campaign today, the dynamics of the GOP race have shifted. Mike Huckabee is the only candidate who has won primaries that he has to compete with.

When asked about the sudden one-on-one with Huckabee, McCain said he thought it would be a "respectful" debate between the two even though they have differences on issues like taxes and health care.

Going into Super Tuesday the McCain campaign knew the fight for the nomination would continue after the voting was done. But their focus was on Romney and their plan was to make it hard for Romney and to push him to drop out.

"At the end of the day we will not have enough delegates for the nomination but we will make it hard for him," McCain adviser Steve Schmidt told reporters on McCain's plane on Tuesday.

Then yesterday, McCain advisor Charlie Black had tallied the delegate count and highlighted an uphill battle for Romney and Huckabee in catching McCain. "It is virtually impossible for Romney or Huckabee to be the nominee based on the arithmetic," he said.

On Huckabee's wins in five states, Black had only respectful words for the Governor. "In the states that he won, he has great appeal. It's his home base, he's an attractive candidate. At the end of the day we give him all the credit," he said.

Black also noted that the states Huckabee won, McCain did little or no advertising and didn't run much of a campaign due to a lack of funds. While some of those states were close between Huckabee and McCain, Black says they don't regret their efforts because there were no other option available to them.

Even after his formidable lead after Super Tuesday, McCain still adjusted his schedule, cancelling a trip to a conference in Munich to stay to campaign in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Kansas.

"Hopefully we can wrap this thing up, unite the party and be ready to take on the Democratic nominee in November," he said.

Later this afternoon, McCain addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. He has been under fire by some conservatives for working with Democrats and, most recently, for campaigning with Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.

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by becauseicare February 9, 2008 3:28 AM EST: ROMNEY SUPPORTERS CAN STILL VOTE FOR ROMNEY - PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE THAT HE IS OUR CHOICE!

Mike Huckabee has lost his ability to contrast his record with McCain - he let Romney do all the work and pay for it - then attacked Romney as being negative!! What a slimeball. I will never vote for this man and will continue to work against him until he goes back to Arkansas. I hope that other conservatives will join me - write in Mitt!!; Reply to this comment


by jorge17171-2009 February 8, 2008 2:21 PM EST: Too many people have thought they can read minds, when they don''t know Huckabee''s heart. It is rude, and some kind of radio host- leading mentality that would call the man Suckabee.

If you felt it was your destiny to be president, you also could think just as easily that Romney sucked votes, and well as Thompson sucked votes thereby causing Huckabee to lose to McCain in SC by only 3%. (Thompson alone tooke 15%). So I resent all the heart analyzing. When you go hear the man for yourself, you won''t think he has this dispicable heart, you would think he was a gentleman.

For those who follow the media, which thinks McCain is already the candidate, LET''S EDUCATE ABOUT DELEGATES.

THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 2381. ALL ARE TAKEN AT THIS POINT, EXCEPT 1239. McCain has taken only 697. Yes, Huckabee has only 187 delegates, but THERE ARE 1191 TO BE HAD.

If everyone who dislikes McCain would get on board with Huckabee to vote against McCain, then Huckabee could get the 1004 that he would need to make the 1191 that is needed to win.

Privately, as a citizen, Dr. Dobson has endorsed Huckabee today.

Please riseup and vote against McCain. DON''T STAY AT HOME. GIVE CONSERVATIVES A CHANCE AGAIN!!!; Reply to this comment


by karen611-2009 February 8, 2008 12:36 PM EST: Thankfully Romney "suspended" his campaign - this means I can still vote for him in Texas on March 4th. I could not vote for Huckabee or McCain. They showed their true colors with their dealings in West Virginia. Huckabee should have been the one to bow out before now, but he got what he wanted - McCain will be the nominee and he has scored big points with the future nominee.; Reply to this comment


by cons3rvative February 8, 2008 11:25 AM EST: McCain and Huckabee will have a respectful debate. Dr. Ron Paul should respectfully bow out. He has great ideas, but has not garnered enough support at this point. Funny how Huckabee and Paul were the only conservatives the whole time, and neither got positive press. I will vote for Huckabee and I think he will unite our country and our party.; Reply to this comment


by jcooke12 February 8, 2008 1:49 AM EST: Ron Paul should gain more delegates now that Romney is gone.

Paul is the only conservative who stands for smaller government, lower taxes and he won''t cut deals on immigration or free speech rights. He also won''t kept the troops in Iraq for another 100 years.

He''s also raised money in the last quarter than McCain or Huckabee and that shows that his supports believe in Paul''s ideas enough to put up their hard earned dollars to back him.; Reply to this comment


by jcooke12 February 8, 2008 1:37 AM EST: Ron Paul should gain more delegates now that Romney is gone.

Paul is the only conservative who stands for smaller government, lower taxes and he won''t cut deals on immigration or free speech rights. He also won''t kept the troops in Iraq for another 100 years.

He''s also raised money in the last quarter than McCain or Huckabee and that shows that his supports believe in Paul''s ideas enough to put up their hard earned dollars to back him.; Reply to this comment


by jcooke12 February 8, 2008 1:31 AM EST: This is a 3-person race as Ron Paul is still in it. Bear in mind that he has raised more money than other GOP candidate because of enthusiastic followers.

Paul offers a better alternative to conservative voters than Huckabee. Paul has been endorsed by Jane Roe and the National Taxpayers Union.

Expect Paul to gain more momentum.; Reply to this comment


by giantrobot2 February 8, 2008 12:55 AM EST: * * AP Breaking News Alert * * *

Evangelical leader James Dobson to endorse Mike Huckabee for GOP presidential nod.

James Dobson, one of the nation''''s most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee,the Associated Press has learned. Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family, talked to the GOP presidential hopeful Thursday and later was to release a statement explaining his choice, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson.

Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, holds perhaps more influence over rank-and-file Christians than any other evangelical leader in the country. He has stated that he won''''t support John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, leaving just Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

And now with Mitt Romney dropping out of the race, the decision becomes very clear that Mike Huckabee is the conservative choice.

His backing carries enormous weight, because of the number of voters he reaches via his organization, radio show and is symbolic.

This represent a major validation of Huckabee''''s presidential candidacy.; Reply to this comment


by becauseicare February 8, 2008 12:34 AM EST: Of course there will be a "respectful" debate - it''ll be a virtual lovefest just as the two of these phonies as behaved from the beginning. Mitt Romney did not launch personal attacks, he ran contrast ads - ads that COMPARE records. Apparently the phonies can''t handle the truth. They both hate Romney because he''s done something they haven''t - he got a job and he made money. They hate him cuz he''s rich just as typical liberals. Huckabee can''t bow out yet - it will expose the deal sealed back in Iowa. He''ll stay in til next Tuesday and then endorse McCain. I''ll be writing in Mitt Romney when I vote here in Texas in March and I will never vote for a ticket with Huckabee on it. He is by far the most dishonest and dispicable character out there. In November I''ll probably choke on my own vomit to vote for McCain (as long as Huck isn''t on the ticket). The only states Huckabee won are the states with high populations of evangelical bigots that buy into what this liar (and other men of the cloth) told them. He is no more a conservative than McCain is.; Reply to this comment


by Xiaopangzi February 7, 2008 11:04 PM EST: I don%u2019t know how any of these people above could possibly support Huckabee or think that he is a man of %u201Chonor.%u201D

Supporters apparently have not seen his extremely offensive and blasphemous ridiculing of our Lord with his prank of feigning a very worldly phone call from G-d when he was called to give the invocation (an opening prayer) at a Republican convention. Check it out on YouTube.

Such vain usage of the Lord%u2019s name is in direct violation of the commandments.

Anti-Mormon bigotry in some evangelical states overpowered what should have been their concern about voting for such a man who makes a mockery of the Lord in open public. I guess that%u2019s typical of a people who believe that they are saved with a one-time expression of faith and are afterward free to blaspheme the Lord since they%u2019re already supposedly irreversibly saved by grace without any need to exercise faith further or obedience or be repentant and seek the Holy Ghost afterward.

Huckabee should be denounced for what he is, but worldly-minded people don%u2019t care about such things, and evangelicals usually don%u2019t seem to care what happens after their one-time prayer of %u201Caccepting Jesus.%u201D; Reply to this comment