McCain Cools Pro-War Rhetoric

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The most significant thing about John McCain's formal announcement for president Wednesday was what it did not include: the full-throated support for the Iraq war and President Bush's troop surge that has been the hallmark of the McCain campaign up until now.

McCain sharply distanced himself from the failures of the Bush administration not only in Iraq, but at home — while never mentioning Bush by name.

"When Americans confront a catastrophe, natural or manmade, they have a right to expect basic competence from their government," McCain said. "They won't accept government's failure to deliver bottled water to dehydrated babies or rescue the infirm from a hospital with no electricity. They won't accept substandard care and indifference for wounded veterans."

On Iraq, McCain made no mention of what had been his bedrock position: America has to fight the war there to avoid having terrorists come here.

Instead, McCain said: "We all know the war in Iraq has not gone well. We have made mistakes, and we have paid grievously for them. We have changed the strategy that failed us, and we have begun to make a little progress."

But McCain then continued to bash the competency of the Bush administration by saying, "America should never undertake a war unless we are prepared to do everything necessary to succeed, unless we have a realistic and comprehensive plan for success, and unless all relevant agencies of government are committed to that success. We did not meet this responsibility initially. And we must never repeat that mistake again."

And that was it for Iraq.

McCain spoke to a modest-sized crowd of a few hundred people in Prescott Park on the banks of the Piscataqua River here. The crowd politely applauded throughout his 19-minute speech but cheered when McCain said, "I'm not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced."

Before McCain arrived, park personnel had to use a chainsaw to cut low-hanging branches from a tree so McCain's famous Straight Talk Express bus could pass beneath. Early-morning sunshine gave way to gray and gloomy skies by the time McCain spoke.

The strategy behind McCain's speech was two-pronged: While McCain still supports the war, his campaign no longer believes there is great benefit in him being the poster boy for the surge.

Also, while President Bush continues to remain popular with Republicans, the McCain campaign feels the party faithful want something different in their next president.

In addition, McCain took the opportunity to contrast himself with the rest of the Republican field.

"I know how the military works," he said. "I know how Congress works. I know how the world works. I know how to fight and how to make peace. I know who I am and what I want to do."

In recent weeks, McCain had become uncharacteristically partisan for a man who had prided himself on co-sponsoring legislation with Democrats such as Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. McCain recently bashed Democrats for "celebrating" what he called their policies of "defeat" and "surrender" in Iraq.

He struck a much different tone Wednesday, saying, "Even in the heat of a campaign, we shouldn't lose sight that much more defines us than our partisanship; much more unites us than divides us."

He also made a passing reference to his years of captivity in North Vietnam, saying: "Thirty-four years ago, I came home from an extended absence abroad. While I was away, I fell in love with my country."

McCain said he needed not only to win the election next fall, but to win it big.

"I can't just win this election by a few votes in a few counties in a few states," he said. "I need a mandate from you big enough to convince Congress that Americans want this election to be different. You want to change the politics of selfishness, stalemate and delay; move this country forward and stake our claim on this century as we did in the last."

After his speech, about a dozen reporters crammed aboard the Straight Talk Express, where I asked McCain if he thought the first Republican debate on May 3, which features 10 candidates, would be a significant event.

"I'd like to say it will be," he said, "but I am not sure how you manage 10 people. I'm glad it's there, I'm for it, I'm glad to have a chance to be a part of it; but it's awfully hard logistically in 90 minutes."

Asked how he was preparing for the debate, McCain said, "We will spend some time early next week. You know most of the questions. You never know all of them, but you know most of the questions because they are the issues of the day. So you prepare how to respond to them."

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