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McCain joins White House race
16/11/2006 12:22 - (SA)
Washington - Senator John McCain envisions a different direction for the Republican Party after last week's devastating defeats in congressional elections - and in laying it out, the Republican is sending an implicit message that he should be the next leader.
"We departed rather tragically from our conservative principles," McCain lamented recently, offering his take on why the Republicans fell from power in congress.
He urged a return to what he called the foundation of the Republican Party - restrained spending, smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defence and family values.
Fifteen months before the first 2008 presidential nominating contests, McCain is positioning himself as the Republicans' standard-bearer while President George W Bush takes on lame-duck status and dispirited party faithful search for a road to recovery.
The four-term Arizona senator will deliver back-to-back speeches on Thursday to organisations considered conservative cornerstones of the Republican Party - the Federalist Society and GOPAC. He will discuss the current and future state of the Republican.
Election defeat
"Our party's licking its wounds but also looking for a direction. And it's smart for any political leader to stand up and say here's how we move forward," said David Carney, a Republican strategist in New Hampshire.
"The Republican activists will listen."
McCain is taking advantage of the post-election period to outline a vision for the party much like Ronald Reagan did after the Republican defeat in the 1976 presidential election - and, perhaps, preview the central theme of a presidential campaign.
"Republicans got their teeth kicked in all over the country," said Katon Dawson, South Carolina's party chairperson. "Now, there's a window for all people with presidential aspirations to, in political terms, catch the high ground."
As expected, McCain will formally launch a presidential exploratory committee on Thursday by filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission that will allow him to raise money and travel the country while weighing a bid.
The committee's website - www.exploremccain.com - went online a day earlier, and McCain's GOPAC speech will be broadcast on the site.
Despite all the action, McCain says he will wait until after the Christmas holiday to decide whether to make a second bid for the White House. He lost to Bush in a contentious race in 2000, when the senator was the underdog and bypassed the revered Iowa caucuses to focus on independent-friendly New Hampshire.
Rivals
McCain's would-be 2008 rivals include Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, senate majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, senators Sam Brownback of Kansas and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and former house speaker Newt Gingrich.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has filed paperwork to test the waters, and congressman Duncan Hunter of California also has announced his intention to run. On Wednesday, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson said he intends to explore a possible candidacy.
- AP
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