McCain watchers see fresh presidential ambition

By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

Sen. John McCain is playing an intriguing role in the 2004 campaign that has some Republicans wondering if he's planning another run for the presidency.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, shakes hands with Vice President Dick Cheney on July 16. By Al Goldis, AP

The Arizona Republican has a close friendship with Sen. John Kerry, a fellow Vietnam veteran. He has had a tense relationship with President Bush since their bitter rivalry for the Republican presidential nomination four years ago.

McCain has sometimes seemed torn between the two men. In March, he defended Kerry after Bush supporters said the Massachusetts Democrat compromised troops' safety by voting against $87 billion in funding for them. Kerry considered asking McCain to be his running mate.

But just as speculation about a bipartisan ticket peaked, McCain campaigned with Bush in Washington state and Nevada. He praised Bush's "moral clarity and firm resolve" — a tribute that was quickly turned into a Bush TV ad.

Then, as Washington buzzed with rumors that Vice President Cheney might be dumped — and replaced with McCain or Secretary of State Colin Powell — McCain joined Cheney at campaign rallies. At a July 15 appearance in Michigan, McCain dampened the speculation by calling Cheney "one of the most capable, experienced, intelligent and steady vice presidents this country has ever had."

McCain will speak at the Republican convention. He'll travel with Bush and Cheney leading up to the Republican convention next month and through the fall. He also will campaign on his own for Bush in key states.

As usual, McCain's moves are prompting questions and conjecture about his motives. What does he want?

The answer is simple, he said in an interview: "I want (Bush) re-elected and I have stated interminably that I want him re-elected."

McCain has disagreed with Bush on tax cuts, the size of the federal budget deficit, the need for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and the adequacy of the number of U.S. troops sent to Iraq, but he has steadfastly supported the war.

Some Republicans think the answer is more complex. "John wants to prove where his loyalties lie for anyone who questioned that," says Bill Dal Col, a Republican strategist who ran Steve Forbes' 2000 presidential campaign.

Others think McCain, who is 67 and has fought skin cancer, may want to run for president again.

"He's clearly looking downstream," says Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. "Being a good Republican who's very popular with independents and Democrats is an attractive package for a future run for national office. McCain's team is aggressively working to keep as many options on the table as possible."

McCain issues a standard disclaimer. "I'm running for re-election to the Senate and I don't have any ambitions beyond that," he says. But quoting his late friend Morris Udall, a former Arizona congressman and Democratic presidential candidate, he adds, "Presidential ambition is a disease which can only be cured by embalming fluid."

If Bush wins in November, the race for the 2008 Republican nomination will be wide open. Cheney has been clear that he's not interested. But if Kerry wins, McCain will have to decide whether he wants to challenge his friend.

The national popularity and excitement that McCain generated in 2000 could become the foundation for another presidential campaign and is the reason both candidates have competed for his support this year.

"He is popular with independents or ticket-splitters and also has great credibility on national security issues," says Charlie Black, a Republican strategist who advises the Bush campaign.

Dal Col says some voters might be more inclined to support Bush when they see McCain at his side. McCain's heroism in Vietnam, where he was a prisoner of war for more than five years, helps neutralize Kerry's status as a decorated veteran, he says.

"It also shows that no matter what took place in the past, McCain can put it behind him," Dal Col says. "It may make voters think, 'I can do that, too.'"

McCain says Bush strategists must think he still appeals to voters. "Otherwise, obviously, I wouldn't be asked" to campaign for Bush, he says. He says his continuing popularity stems from "a certain independence and honesty that people find a bit refreshing in this day of programmed campaigns and messages."

There's some political intrigue and diplomacy behind McCain's new public role in the Bush campaign. It evolved after a meeting this spring between Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, and John Weaver, an adviser to McCain who became a Democratic consultant after the 2000 campaign.

Weaver and Rove had a falling-out more than 20 years ago when both were Republican strategists in Texas, and their rivalry in 2000 further strained their relationship. After the spring meeting, which amounted to a peace conference for the two old colleagues, Weaver told McCain that the Bush team wanted him to appear with the president.

Despite their differences, McCain says, he and Bush now have a friendly relationship.

"For me to look back in anger would be dong a disservice to the people I represent," he says. "And Americans don't like a sore loser."