Ready For Prime Time
On the morning after, Gov. George W. Bush started courting Sen. John McCain and tackling Vice President Al Gore. Gore himself rested for several hours, snug in the assurance that the Democratic nomination has fallen into his hand like ripe fruit, but then headed north to campaign in Michigan, claiming he's "not taking anything for granted."
McCain and Bill Bradley kept their heads low, licking their wounds. With 419 delegates to his name, compared to Gore's 1,533, Bradley has decided to drop out of the Democratic race and endorse the vice president. He's expected to make the announcement Thursday in New Jersey.
Bradley's departure is good news for Gore, and not simply because it saves him the trouble of running hard in the remaining primaries. He's so driven he'd shake hands and campaign even if he'd secured the job for life. But Bradley pushed Gore to the left during the primaries, and that's not a great place to be come the fall. Seven years of President Clinton have taught Gore the virtues of centrism. And the sooner he can put the likes of Al Sharpton behind him, the better, because Bush will be only too happy to paint Gore as an ultra-liberal.
Similarly, if McCain leaves the campaign, Bush can put even more distance between himself and Bob Jones University; between his inclusive, "compassionate conservatism" and the Pat Robertson phone calls.
McCain has more choices than Bradley. He returned home to Arizona to mull them over, telling reporters, "We'll make a decision as to what were going to do with the campaign and how were going to do it."
He could campaign for another week, hitting Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, all of which vote on Friday. But next Tuesday, six Southern states hold primaries, and there's no reason to believe McCain will do well there.
The most plausible scenario is that McCain will do the graceful thing and bow out, throwing his support to Bush. McCain has repeatedly said "the Republican Party is my home," and promised to endorse the nominee. But given the ill feeling they've shared in the last few weeks, that may be a little tough.
Bush is trying to do his part to ease the transition, saying he and McCain will "resolve our differences." He praised the Arizona senator in his victory speech Tuesday night and again at a press conference Wednesday morning. "Senator McCain touched a nerve that people are sick and tired of what's going on in Washington," Bush said. And on a morning talk show, he said, "Let's team up and win. Let's beat Al Gore." He later clarified that statement, saying he meant team up in a general sense, not in a running mate sense.
But McCain could, instead, ponder his appeal to independents, and the 37 percent of his voters who say they wouldn't vote for Bush in the fall. Or the 25 percent of people, in a recent poll, who said they'd vote for him in a three-man race. He could take a look at the Reform Party, which is in peri of making Pat Buchanan its candidate, and decide to give those crazy kids a viable choice. Or he could steer clear of that party, and just run as a maverick Republican. He could give some teeth to his promise, delivered to downhearted supporters Tuesday night, that "our crusade continues ... for as long as it takes to restore America's confidence."
If McCain decides he'd rather switch and fight, he could throw a wrench into Bush's plans - and Gore's, as well. Unlike a Buchanan or a Perot, he could draw Democratic voters along with Republicans. It seems improbable that he could actually win the presidency, but McCain hasn't let improbability stop him so far.
That's why both Bush and Gore, even as they square off with each other, are keeping half an eye on McCain.
Still, Bush remained focused on Gore. "If you're happy with the status quo in Washington, then vote for Al Gore," he said. "If you're happy with Al Gore and Bill Clinton, the tone they've set for America, then you've got a perfect person to vote for." And, in a preview of complaints to come, he belittled Gores victory speech Tuesday night with its call for campaign finance reform. "He said a lot of things last night," Bush snorted.