Analysis: McCain Talks Straight To Victory

Vaughn Ververs Says Back To Basics Approach Led Senator To Verge Of The GOP Nomination

(CBS)  This analysis was written by CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

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With Mitt Romney's exit from the Republican presidential contest, John McCain has earned that awkward title, "presumptive nominee." Barring some unforeseen upheaval, it will be McCain who delivers the acceptance speech in Minneapolis on September 4th.

It is a stunning turnaround for a candidate left for dead politically when his campaign fell apart last summer and one which vindicates McCain's return to his 2000 "Straight Talk" style.

When he began building his campaign in late 2006 and early 2007, McCain was the clear front-runner in the Republican field. He began raising big hunks of campaign cash, hired the best and brightest political operatives and began reaching out to the same conservative activists he called "agents of intolerance" in 2000.

But none of it worked. The over-spending led to campaign debt and a decimation of the top-heavy campaign organization. Unconvinced, conservatives cast about for a candidate they could call their own, many of them settling on Fred Thompson, others on Mike Huckabee and still others on Mitt Romney.

Plummeting to single-digits in the polls and reduced to a shoestring operation, McCain returned to his bus - and his true style. He staunchly supported the surge in Iraq at a time when most of the country wanted out. He opposed ethanol subsidies in Iowa, told concerned voters in Michigan that some of the jobs they've lost simply would not come back and opposed a popular idea in Florida to create a national insurance fund to lessen the blow of natural disasters like hurricanes.

McCain won some of those contests and lost some of them. But he's on the edge of winning the nomination just the same. If so, he will have it with a coalition of conservatives and moderates, independents and Republicans, war supporters and those dissatisfied with the Bush administration. He'll have won it because of a lack of a universally acceptable conservative alternative.

He approached an audience of conservative detractors this afternoon in a position of strength and with some more straight talk. "We have had a few disagreements, and none of us will pretend that we won't continue to have a few," he told activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "But even in disagreement, especially in disagreement, I will seek the counsel of my fellow conservatives. If I am convinced my judgment is in error, I will correct it. And if I stand by my position, even after benefit of your counsel, I hope you will not lose sight of the far more numerous occasions when we are in complete accord."

The Republican race will go on, at least through Tuesday's primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC because Huckabee has vowed to stay in the race. But the same math which worked against Romney is going against Huckabee - and then some.

According to CBS News estimates, McCain leads the delegate race with 699, compared to 162 for Huckabee and 157 for Romney. With just over 1,300 delegates left up for grabs and 1,191 needed for the nomination, it's nearly impossible for Huckabee to win. Just two winner-take-all contests remain, meaning Huckabee would not only have to win most of the states remaining on the board, but win them with huge margins.

And Huckabee, while nearly certain to finish ahead of Romney in the delegate counts, has not demonstrated the same depth and breadth of support Romney did. In the contests to date, Romney has won over 4.1 million votes, compared to just over 2.4 million for Huckabee. McCain has collected over 4.8 million.

There have been no signs of the animosity with Huckabee that marked the McCain-Romney battle and the two campaigns have signaled they plan to keep it that way. "I am redoubled in my resolve to carry on my campaign in a civil, dignified manner," Huckabee said after learning of Romney's exit from the race. No candidate wants to be the last one to get into a nasty fight with the man who will be soon be thinking about picking his running mate, after all.

[ioweign]

Do the math: Huckabee does not have a chance, period.
Against Clinton or Obama, MCCAIN will win handsdown. Why? He is the stronger, more experianced, credible, leader we have to choose from. Differances aside, MCCAIN is the only one that will show the right change and make the appropriate *less tax* progress

Posted by jack3213 at 10:22 AM : Feb 08, 2008

Yeah - do the math - nice taxcuts for the weathy and corporations when we are at war and just charge it and then sell the bonds to China. McCain will be worst than Bush - after all he was a rubber stamp...

[bdrlnt4rl]

it does not matter what someone else believes, huck does and will not accept it because it is not putting money in hucks pocket with passing of the plate. he already said he wanted to pass the plate at one of the debate.


the constitution was created on the christian idea, to treat every one respectfully, kindness and equal to yourself, huck has already proved by his anti mormon statements he is incapable of following the constitution.


if huck is anti mormon, he will be anti budah, anti jew, anti muslim,ect.......

that means huck is war, hatred, war, hatred, war.....

ya know what is funny, the christians all say ''''''''''''''''do what jesus would do''''''''''''''''

but yet, they hate all that do not go to church with them. sounds kind of like a typical hypacrit. read the bible. more mormons read the bible than any other religion. i know, because my neighbors are mormon.

it does not matter if they read the book of picking your nose, they are more christ like than hypocrit hucky fans.

religious intolerance is unacceptable as the pres of america.

[starleo146]

Oh yes he does Huckabee and Mc Cain are buddies and are pulling shady deals as we speak. God help us all another Bush administration I just think it is unbelievably historic and crazy. They bashed Romney and this is politics at its worse I bet a Rove smells like Rove.

[starleo146]

We don''''t need another ideologue committed to picking up where Bush is leaving off in re-writing the Constitution.

True conservatives will fight to protect the Constitution from those who think it''''s just a piece of paper.

Posted by realpatriot1 at 09:53 AM : Feb 08, 2008
+ report abus

John Mc Cain in all his rhetoric to fight for the Military, where was he when his vote was needed in the stimulus bill, absent, not present, the republicans filibustered that and giving money to the elderly and John Mc Cain was not present which makes 254 votes he missed they can talk about the dems missing votes but he is the one bashing the dems about our military. He talks out of both sides of his face and he just does not get it. we lost that by one vote and they came back and finally passed it probably due to an outcry and they had better. One vote folks where were you Mc Cain

[jack3213]

Do the math: Huckabee does not have a chance, period.
Against Clinton or Obama, MCCAIN will win handsdown. Why? He is the stronger, more experianced, credible, leader we have to choose from. Differances aside, MCCAIN is the only one that will show the right change and make the appropriate *less tax* progress

[realpatriot1]

heartlandjim,

We don''t need another ideologue committed to picking up where Bush is leaving off in re-writing the Constitution.

True conservatives will fight to protect the Constitution from those who think it''s just a piece of paper.

[bdribus]

Huckabee has the most executive experience and the best ideas. The media bias against him is nauseating. We are very close to a monolithic media-controlled (un-American) form of rule, with Fox and the other major media being the ringleaders. Wake up people and do your own research. Look at both sides. Go to www.mikehuckabee.com. Don''t be sheep.

[cfin5]

That''''s what we need, is another GW Bush (McCain) in the White House.
We can say goodbye to the American Dream, and all the hopes for this Country.
We don''''t need a muslim either.

Posted by mistered9 at 08:03 AM : Feb 08, 2008-------Yep, John "HW" McBush and Gov. Huckaveep we don''t need. Neither a muslim or socialist ta''boot! "We The People" need Ron Paul, proven public student of the Constitution in 2008!

[cfin5]

Or how about a pointed white hat with a couple holes for the eyes?

Posted by ontheleft at 02:49 AM : Feb 08, 2008-----Pssssst,....(whisper) Senator Byrd can fix you up with the real deal.

[mistered9]

That''s what we need, is another GW Bush (McCain) in the White House.
We can say goodbye to the American Dream, and all the hopes for this Country.
We don''t need a muslim either.

[xlib]

This is as good a place to inform all you lefties. See, a top aide to democratic gov deval patrick (MA) was arressted for assaulting a young boy (12-16 yr of age) at a Florida resort. Seems this guy, mcgee was married to some fella but I guess he still had a roving eye. Now I know, you''ll all point to the deviant Republicans and there are many. However, the point is lefties, if this WERE a Republican this site would be running the story.
THAT''S THE POINT, get it??
Your msm picks and chooses what they want us to know about. Doesn''t that bother you leemings in the least??

[cfin5]

Listening to Senator McAin''t the conservative at CPAC was a really good lesson at how smoooooooth a dude can outright lie to gain political office. I know his history! If he would have started out and stood true like his speech, he would have trumped Reagan maybe, but his own way was preferred. Huckabee is just gonna be his "Dan Quail Veeper" to secure the conservative SUCKERS vote. I hate to say it like that, but the truth is the truth.

[heartlandjim]

Mike Huckabee is still in this thing, folks. Respectfully I ask you to support him. He is a true conservative and he can still do it. The James Dobson endorsement in Kansas, where they are cacusing on Satuday is big. Please, folks, I appeal to you a little support of Mike would be a great help.

[ontheleft]

This November I''ll be volunteering for the local Republican ''get out the vote'' effort. I''ll be driving around town in a big yellow school bus picking up all the frail elderly Republicans. Once the bus is full, I''ll drive them all out to the middle of nowhere and force them all off. Back into town I''ll go to fill up the next bus load.

Don''t worry, I''ll be disguising myself as a Republican so they''ll never catch me. Maybe wear a George Bush mask. Or how about a pointed white hat with a couple holes for the eyes?

[shanev137]

McCain is going to be our next president.

[shingles1]

McCain Talks Straight To Victory?!

Yeah, if you don''t count McCain''s flip-flopping and lying. You name the issue, he''s flipped on it somewhere along the line: taxes, immigration, campaign finance, earmarks and pork, the under-reported conflicts of interest with his Reform Institute, going negative while condemning others when they go negative. The guy is anything BUT straight.

But if a flip-flop happens and no one decides to cover it, does it really happen?

Why even bother with the rest of the primary season anyways - Vaughn Ververs and his ilk have already anointed the "straight shooting maverick" the Nominee.

[annia1233]

I heard some of this guys'' talk and sounded to me the same as George Bush. It seems he intend to take us right through the same path of war, through the same delirium with Alcaida and the terrorist, the same fixation with all that. I just want to hear some one with solutions and not with the same retoric that is taking us through the path of destruction. These people have no other solution than the same thing other before them did, and we have gone from one destructive war to another. Can some one come with an intelligent solution?

[pelosisstill]

He still doesn''t get my vote, after his strident rhetoric in favor of ILLEGALS, his qualms about interrogation method of those who''d kill innocent men, women, children, babies and even pets, his Democratic Party record on Andyr and the Oil Reserves. He''s also about as Annapolis as Jimmy Carter - who never got it as McLame doesn''t seem to get it.

But if you Nazis like Iceboy keep up the anti-McLame remarks so your Jihadist friends can win, well, I just might vote for the schmuck and ILLEGAL lover just so Boy Obama will have to go back and pick cotton - and the Cuckolded shrew will have to manicure Lewinsky.

Ha Ha Ha. McLame, Shrew, and Boy - Three Democrats for your perusal.

As a liberal-leaning independent since the 1996 election, I''m very happy to see McCain win the nomination. It''s very refreshing to see an independent-thinking conservative that can recognize the overwhelming evidence for global warming. I don''t agree with him on every issue, but I admire his experience, what he went through in Vietnam, and that he stands by his opinion. It''s also funny to read the other comments on here because none of the attacks on McCain are based on facts so far. So far I''ve seen vote Obama and critics on McCain''s war stance. His 100 year comment has been taken completely out of context on here when it was meant in the form of military bases. In context, we''ve been in Korea for more than 40 years and Japan for more than 60 years and as a person formerly serving in the military, I would tend to agree with him that an immediate withdrawal would be detrimental to our future in the Middle East and that a military base in the region would be a very good idea. (Cont''d below)

I would also say that Clinton would be a far stronger candidate than Obama. I would easily support McCain over Obama but I''m undecided on Clinton and McCain. Clinton is more experienced and stands by her opinion on many issues. Obama is much younger, has a history of voting ''Present'' on tough issues, has admitted to previous drug use, and is actually more liberal when people start to examine the issues. He''s a trendy candidate now but Clinton is the better candidate that I would trust more as a commander-in-chief. She''ll also be far stronger in battleground states in the general election as she''s won all of those versus Obama.