McCain To Jump Into White House Race

(AP)  Republican Sen. John McCain will officially enter the presidential race — his second run after a bitter loss to George W. Bush in 2000 — with a formal announcement in early April.

The Arizona senator disclosed the timing of the long-expected announcement in a taping for the "Late Show With David Letterman" on CBS for airing Wednesday night.

"I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States," the senator told the talk show host — and then added he would give a formal speech to that effect in early April.

There was no doubt that McCain would eventually become a full-fledged White House candidate, and he had been expected to make his candidacy official in the spring.

The 2006 midterm campaign had just ended when McCain took the first formal step toward a presidential run in November. He formed an exploratory committee and gave a speech casting himself as a "common-sense conservative" in the vein of Ronald Reagan who could lead the party back to dominance after a dreadful election season by returning to the GOP's core principles.

A political celebrity, McCain is considered a top contender for the nomination.

However, he faces strong challenges from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has widened his lead over McCain in popularity polls in recent weeks, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is little-known nationally but is drawing notice for his deft fundraising.

The other two have spent the past two months mostly campaigning while McCain largely has been tied to Capitol Hill in his role as the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is focused largely on the unpopular Iraq war.

McCain, a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has emerged as the Senate's go-to guy on Iraq. He has become President Bush's most outspoken supporter of sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, a position that could endear him to GOP primary voters but anger much of the rest of the electorate.

A four-term senator, McCain unsuccessfully ran for president in 2000 against Bush and has been laying the groundwork for a second run for more than a year.

Since losing that race, McCain has alternately challenged and embraced the president, building an independent reputation as one who isn't afraid to speak his mind. At the same time, he's sought to mend fences with conservatives he alienated in his first presidential run.

Should he win this nomination and then the presidency, McCain, 70, would be the oldest president ever sworn into office for a first term. Only Reagan, who was 73 at the start of his second term, was older.

[down-ndirty]

On a slightly different note...

During a discussion about the Iraq war, when McCain was being interviewed by Chris Matthews at an Iowa university, Matthews asked those in the audience who supported the war from beginning to end to stand up. About 1/4th stood up. Then he asked those who were standing if they would go fight in the war, to remain standing, about half sat down.

What's it called when you won't stand up and support your convictions? Cowardice?

Well, if only half of those who support the war are willing to go fight in it, then there aren't enough people of fighting age to make a difference.

Bring the troops home. McCain is not willing to do that. With McCain we'll end up in another situation like S. Korea. Difference is, the Arabs absolutely hate us, absolutely. U.S. military personnel will never be safe in Iraq as they are in S. Korea.

[down-ndirty]

"Powell posed the question "How does an honest man come up with $50 million dollars to run for President?"" Posted by formrusmcsgt

Exactly. That's why we continue to elect our leaders from a handful of lackeys. Honest qualified people only see the futility of pisssing money away, especially when they are up against the slandering neocon machine.

[bjr361]

If Giuliana is the only choice we have, then God help us because we are doomed. Hopefully, someone with brains, experience, honesty will throw their hat in the ring and maybe the people will be heard again.

[down-ndirty]

"Isn't it quite fitting for Arizona's biggest clown to announce his run for the presidency on New York's biggest clown show?" Posted by fuzzybear9

Funny... Good thing he didn't anounce it a couple weeks ago when the ventriquilists were on; people would have thought he was just another 'dummy.'

[down-ndirty]

"Keating Five Scandel ? Alot of dirt under that rock..." Posted by karlimhof

You betcha... when the neocons start working on that it will make his slandering in 2000 look like childplay.

And his adultry? He and Guilliani are a pair of jokers.

[down-ndirty]

The fact that McCain survived several years in a POW camp is hardly reason enough to make him president. No more so than we should elect Obama or Clinton simply because they are black or female.

Neither Clinton nor McCain will get my vote and I don't think either has a snowball's chance anyway. Guilliani, in spite of his left-leaning ideals, is out-polling McCain almost 2 to 1. Clinton's true nature is surfacing and she can kiss her arse goodbye.

Albeit, Obama doesn't have much experience, but then neither did Bush. Plus Bush hasn't learned a fuggin thing in the past six years.

[randalds]

McCain has sold his soul to the devils (Bush, Rove and Cheney) once to often. He has shown himself to be ambitious for the White House to the point where he'll say anything he thinks anyone else wants to hear to get their vote. Rove savaged him during the 2000 primaries, including conducting a whisper campaign claiming McCain had fathered an illegitimate child with a black hooker. At the time McCain was outraged, but has since rolled over on his back like a beaten subservient dog, legs spread, tail tucked and whining. Disgusting.

[dallison7]

rusty50 - your homophobia suggests you are a homosexual yourself.....either that or you're frustrated sexually due to your angry inch
Posted by davek455

I agree, but I'm not well versed on the topic. What's an 'angry inch'? If it is what I think it is, I think I have three of 'em

[davek455]

rusty50 - your homophobia suggests you are a homosexual yourself.....either that or you're frustrated sexually due to your angry inch

[bjr361]

I might have voted for McCain as President at one time but he has turned into a wishy-washy, whichever-way-the-wind-blows politician. As far as I am concerned, he has lost all the integrity I once thought he had. As for Obama, no way. We need a person of stature to lead us out of the quagmire Bush created. Obama does not have the qualifications to be a world leader.