McCain says his campaign is still intact
Presidential candidate John McCain said yesterday that his campaign was politically and financially intact, despite the departure this week of two of his top advertising aides.
"I'm very proud of our performance. . . . We have ups and downs in campaigns," the Arizona Republican told reporters at the Rubin and Rudman law offices in downtown Boston. He was in town for fund-raising meetings.
On Monday, the two media strategists, Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens, abruptly left McCain's cash-strapped campaign after they were not paid for their work, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
The duo's departure marked the latest misstep for McCain's campaign, which has struggled to stay above water amid financial woes and the sudden resignation of two of McCain's top advisers two weeks ago.
Schriefer and Stevens were members of George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns, and their presence was considered imperative as McCain moved forward with fall advertising in key primary states.
McCain yesterday declined to discuss the shake-ups in his campaign, saying only that he was "very happy" about the general direction of his candidacy and that he had a "cohesive team."
"We're going to be fine," he said.
In his 11-minute talk with reporters, McCain, responding to a question about the views of his Democratic competitors on meetings with foreign dictators, said he would not consider talks unless he were certain that the outcome would not "enhance the prestige or the standing of one of these dictators in the world."
McCain also criticized the format of the Democratic presidential debate this week, sponsored by the popular video website YouTube. The debate allowed citizens to produce their own short video questions, which were played for the candidates.
In one clip, an animated snowman asked whether his "son," a small snowman, would live through global warming.
"I think that this is serious. We are in a war," he said. "To have a question from a snowman is not frankly appropriate for a presidential debate."
"Democrats have already declared we've lost," the former New York mayor said during a campaign stop yesterday at a Houston diner. "It's really strange. The Democrats want to give our enemies a timetable. Never in history of war has a retreating army been asked to give a timetable.
"I'm for victory," Giuliani said. Democrats, he said, are "living in a world where they refuse to admit the existence of Islamic terrorism," he said, an oft-repeated line.
Giuliani's remarks were delivered a day after two rivals for the GOP nomination, McCain and Romney, pointedly criticized Democratic candidates as too liberal and ill-prepared to lead the nation. (AP)
"I have thought about that," Romney said in an interview. "I haven't made a final decision, but it's probably more likely than not." During a campaign appearance earlier in the day, Romney was asked about his views on appointing a "God-fearing Mormon" to the Supreme Court. Romney has been asked about such matters frequently in the question-and-answer sessions he holds almost daily.
"I'd go after people who will follow the law, and I wouldn't apply a religious test, either," Romney said. In the interview, Romney acknowledged that the issue crops up often enough that he is pondering whether to deal with it in a comprehensive manner. "It's probably too early for something like that," he said.
There is precedent for such a step. When John F. Kennedy sought the presidency in 1960, a whispering campaign developed about his Catholicism, and he largely put the issue to rest by going to Texas to deliver a speech about the role that religion played in his life. (AP)
The plan, which Dodd released as he started a three-day campaign swing through Iowa, would be phased in over four years and would create an insurance package offered to businesses and individuals with premiums based on their ability to pay. The proposal calls for a Universal HealthMart, parallel to the health coverage given federal workers. The system would offer a variety of plans tailored to individual needs.
In background documents spelling out his plan, the Connecticut senator said it would not require higher taxes, but would be financed primarily by eliminating inefficiencies in the current system. Both employers and individuals would contribute to premiums, with the amount tied to the ability to pay.
"Other revenue streams such as those that would result from ending the war in Iraq will be identified for transition costs," according to the documents describing the package.
Dodd said that under his plan, coverage would be portable, moving with an individual from job to job. It would also include incentives for wellness programs, such as losing weight or quitting smoking, that could further reduce premiums. There was no overall price tag included in the background documents.
The efficiencies cited in the plan would largely come by using new technologies, such as converting to electronic medical records. (AP)
