Senator John McCain, announcing his candidature for 2008 US President Election, has put the unpopular Iraq War at the centre stage of the unfolding campaign for the coming up White House vacancy, for the Republicans.
McCain, the maverick four term senator form Arizona, had lost out to President George Bush in the 2000 party nomination race. His contrarian stance of supporting Bush for more troops in Iraq this time around, has earned him the awkward position of a candidate who has the backing of the White House.
Given the falling ratings of President Bush over the Iraq War gone awry, the label of a White House candidate could turn out to be an albatross hanging around McCain’s neck in the race.
On the other hand, ratings of ‘American Mayor’ Rudolph Giuliani, the other powerful republican candidate in the race, are improving. Giuliani, considered a political moderate, is still basking in the glory of standing in to tackle the aftermath of the 9/11 attack in New York.
As the campaign gears up, closer scrutiny about Giuliani’s personal life, his views on gay rights and abortion are bound to demolish the tough image, which he has carefully cultivated by actively supporting the War on Terrorism after 9/11.
Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, too is vying for the support of the right wing republicans, who are showing more inclination towards McCain.
Towards his credentials as an expert in Military affairs and foreign policy, McCain’s past as a prisoner in the Vietnam war comes handy. His age (McCain turns 72 in August 2008) is going to make the road ahead get harder as the first primaries begin early next year.
One thing is for certain, that should he lose out in the nomination race, he will not compromise to be the running mate for the GOP election.
This McCain made amply clear while responding to a question about settling in as a vice-presidential candidate “You know, I spent all those years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, kept in the dark, fed scraps - why the heck would I want to do that all over again?”
Other Republicans likely to enter the Republican party nomination foray include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Virginia Governor James Gilmore, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and Republicans Duncan Hunter of California and Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
