McCain "Straight Talk Express" Rolls Again
GOP Senator Embarks On Bus Tour Through Iowa And New Hampshire
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McCain On The Campaign Trail
Sen. John McCain was called a "maverick" during his 2000 run for the Republican presidential nomination. This year, the war in Iraq could cost him as he makes another bid. Sharyn Alfonsi reports.
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Kennedy, McCain Debate Iraq
CBS News RAW: Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., disagreed about whether to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, as the Senate moved toward debate on a new Iraq policy.
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The GOP's Top Three
Bob Schieffer analyzes the status of three Republican frontrunners in the race for president. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., unofficially announced his bid last night on "Late Show With David Letterman."
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Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., steps off his campaign bus after arriving at the Iowa Statehouse before speaking to legislators in Des Moines on March 15, 2007. For the next five days the 2008 presidential candidate will be tour two early primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire. (AP Photo)
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Who's Who
2008 Democratic Hopefuls
Clinton, Obama and Edwards lead the chase for the Democratic nomination.
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Who's Who
2008 Republican Hopefuls
McCain and Giuliani head up the Republican pack chasing the presidency.
"Deja vu all over again," the four-term Republican senator said as he embarked on a two-day bus tour of Iowa with his wife, Cindy.
"I'm very happy with where we are right now," McCain said of his campaign, dismissing national polls that show him trailing rival Rudy Giuliani. "We're fine."
Nevertheless, McCain was seeking momentum in Iowa, an early voting state that he bypassed seven years ago. He gets on another bus this weekend in New Hampshire, where he won the 2000 primary before ultimately losing the GOP nomination to George W. Bush.
McCain started this campaign as the perceived Republican front-runner, leading in the race for political talent, endorsements and proven fundraisers. He and Giuliani were virtually tied in most national polls last year, but the gap has widened the past few months to double digits.
Aboard his campaign bus, McCain shrugged off the polls and suggestions of a stalled effort.
CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi asked McCain if he can get elected even though he is telling 70 percent of voters that they are wrong in Iraq.
"Well that depends on what happens in Iraq, obviously," McCain said. "I think there are already some signs of success, and I don't want to overstate that."
He said he was confident that he could win over voters as he steps up campaigning, and likened this stage of the campaign to spring training, a warm-up for the regular season.
"This is the first time we've been on the bus, but we've been working at this for well over a year. We've been trying to lay the political and financial base," McCain said. "We haven't done a great job, but we've done a pretty good job in doing what's necessary to prepare."
Republicans who have backed McCain privately fret that the campaign is burning through money at an alarming rate by building an overly bureaucratic organization — in effect overcompensating for a campaign weakness from 2000. They express concern that McCain doesn't appear to be the "Happy Warrior" he was eight years ago and may be having difficulty making the transition from an underdog to an establishment candidate.
"My positions haven't changed," McCain said. "I'm too old to change. I'm the same. People will understand that as the campaign goes on."
He chatted with reporters nonstop inside the plush blue tour bus emblazoned with a "Straight Talk Express" logo and McCain's campaign Web site address. Inside were two couches, nine leather chairs and two booths, a kitchenette with a full-sized fridge and a half-dozen flat-screen TVs.
"This one's cleaner," Cindy McCain said, comparing it to 2000. Then, she noticed the TVs. "Oh my! Is this an upgrade or what! Too good for us."
McCain met privately with Iowa legislators at the statehouse before traveling to Ames for a question-and-answer session with potential caucus-goers, one of several he was holding around the state.
Though some wonder if McCain is too old to be president, it's too soon to count him out. Alfonsi notes that at this point in the 2000 campaign, McCain was trailing both Elizabeth Dole and Dan Quayle.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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See all 66 CommentsAND AFER YOU READ THIS IT WILL BE TIME TO VOTE IN A REAL AMERICAN THAT WILL ONLY HELP AMERICANS HIS NAME IS DAVID A BELANGER AT for-america@hotmail.com.
Time to gracefully step aside.
The straight talk express derailed months ago when the senator went on an @ss kissing mission to the evangelical bigwigs. That and his rollover on torture to our fledgling king and his dark prince.
It's sad. He could have been a true conservative answer to the radical right wing in charge now.
Yeah right!!
Spoken like a true FLIPFLOP Republican.
You were a true blue conservative and I would have voted for you but now, you're just another run of the mill sleazeball Republican.
The pandering to the christian right, the say-anything-to-get-elected strategy, the complete disregard for the human tragedy in Iraq, all for political expediency.
americans need a real american to run this country so vote for david a belanger for president he is a real american and will only help america and americans. for-america@hotmail.com
But what about action?
McCain has been in office for years.
Doesn't appear to have done much.
He says he's a leader. But to where.
We need someone fresh. Someone who will end this Iraq/Iran/Afhanistan mess, one way or the other.
Someone that will remove millions of illegal aliens and fine/imprison anyone that heres them.
We want health care for all legal citizens, and access to education without being in debt for years to pay for it.
Wheres the real leaders?People that will act instead of just talking? Where?
Thank You
I wouldn't vote for McCain or Hillary. They are equally corrupt and would be no different than George "the constitution is just a go**amned piece of paper" Bush.
Wait until Jeb comes out of the wood work.
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