Could McCain's Apology Hurt His Standing With Conservatives?

By: Andante Higgins
Topics: John McCain

(CBS)

From CBS News' Andante Higgins:

TYLER, TEXAS – Be careful who introduces you at political rallies. That's the lesson John McCain is learning today after he apologized for conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham's comments about Barack Obama yesterday.

Cunningham responded to the apology by saying he will no longer support McCain, and may even switch his allegiance to Hillary Clinton. "My response is he is free to make a choice as every other citizen is," McCain said. "I still repudiate the comments that he made. We have and will continue to show respect for our opponents both in the primary and in the general election."

McCain spoke out against Cunningham's comments at his rally in Ohio yesterday, after Cunningham laid out an unflattering scenario of Obama as president and repeatedly used his middle name, "Hussein." "This is a free country," McCain said. "Mr. Cunningham is free to say or whatever he wants to in my view, just not at an event that is part of our campaign."

McCain said he had never met the man, but Cunningham claims they've met twice. Although McCain said they may have attended the same fundraiser, he doesn't recall meeting him, noting that he meets thousands of people at various events.

The incident could affect McCain's standing other conservative commentators. When McCain critics Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity came to his aid last week when the New York Times wrote a story alleging a romantic relationship with a lobbyist, it appeared that the presidential hopeful was making some progress with the conservative crowd. He was asked if he was worried he'd lose that support by disassociating himself from this conservative talk show host. "I will always do what I believe is right no matter what the political consequences, whether it's the war in Iraq or something like what happened yesterday," he said. "That's the only way I know how to run my life."

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by rrcampbell11 March 1, 2008 12:11 AM EST: Nancy Reagan herself called them "extra-chromosome conservatives."

: - ); Reply to this comment


by marinepatriot February 28, 2008 2:34 PM EST: Lets all just re-vote.

Huckabee would win hands down!; Reply to this comment


by caliengineer February 28, 2008 1:25 AM EST: I am not very interested in McCain. Huckabee is such a vastly superior man, I can''t believe anyone chooses McCain over McAble. Huckabee is the can-do governor of a turn-around state. Huck wants to shuck the IRS, Buck the Federal Reserve and serve the people!; Reply to this comment


by sjc_1 February 27, 2008 10:23 PM EST: This shows me that in this instance McCain refused to go to the dark side. That is a good sign, but we will see if that holds for the long run.; Reply to this comment


by conspiracygirl February 27, 2008 8:44 PM EST: I should say what I mean more clearly. I do NOT advocate using innuendo to stir up fear about someone else based upon their name -- or their church for that matter. But Cunningham was apparently INSTRUCTED to be over-the-top in his delivery, to all the attendees apparent approval.

So McCain ended up apologizing for something he sorta asked for -- and perhaps just like Huckabee''s Mormon slurs, apologizes after the slur has been sufficiently floated.

MAYBE McCain didn''t intend that particular slur, but he did intend to have Obama slurred....

Insulting people is par for his course.

Remember folks, you are in the process of choosing this. Vote Ron Paul.; Reply to this comment


by finewoven February 27, 2008 8:31 PM EST: Cunningham responded to the apology by saying he will no longer support McCain.

Now that Cunningham has flip-flopped on his preference for president, maybe John McCain would be a much better choice.; Reply to this comment


by kansas1946 February 27, 2008 8:06 PM EST: LOL.
That should pretty much wrap up the adjective, "conservative."
If by being a decent, civil, human being, you lose their support, then that should tell you what kind of folks these "conservatives" are. Who would WANT their support????; Reply to this comment


by conspiracygirl February 27, 2008 7:49 PM EST: Au contraire. It might make us gag all the more....; Reply to this comment


by denn034 February 27, 2008 7:35 PM EST: Political expediency is the motive and conservatives understand that so, no, it won''t hurt him.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller February 27, 2008 6:36 PM EST: What independents used to like about McCain is what conservatives hate about him. The reason independents left McCain is that the lesson he learned in 2000 was to flip-flop, compromise his principles and sell his soul to the people he won independents over for criticizing.

So he has the worst of both worlds: conservatives will never be convince, independents have become disillusioned.

Both sides think McCain is posturing for the other for political reasons, and both sides are right.; Reply to this comment