Washington - John McCain's 'Super Tuesday' victory
on the biggest day of voting so far in the presidential campaign has
left him on a clear path to capture the Republican nomination, and
closer to taking the White House than many outside the United States
might think.
While the celebrity candidacies of Democrats Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama have stolen the international spotlight, the Arizona
senator has diligently plotted his rise to the Republican crown with
his straightforward manner of speech, relatively moderate views on
domestic issues and tough stance on foreign policy.
Those three characteristics resonate well with American voters,
and could dash hopes abroad that President George W Bush's successor
will be one of the more dazzling, left-leaning Democrats like Obama,
who wants to be the first black president, or Clinton, who would be
the first woman to get the job.
The 71-year-old McCain's popularity shows that Americans might
not be as ready for change as media surveys show, even though the
theme has dominated the Democratic side of the race. After a
quarter-century in Congress, he will be 72 years old by the November
4 election and would be the oldest ever to begin a first term in the
White House.
Eight surveys published in the last three weeks on
realclearpolitics.com show McCain has the best chance among the
Republicans to defeat the Democratic nominee. McCain beats Obama in
three of the polls and is tied in a fourth. McCain's numbers are
better than Clinton's in six of the polls.
McCain all but locked up the Republican nomination on Tuesday,
when Republican contests took place in 21 states. McCain decisively
defeated his closest rival, the conservative Mitt Romney, by winning
the most important states, including heavyweights New York and
California.
'Although I've never minded the role of the underdog, ... tonight
I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican
Party frontrunner for the nomination,' a buoyant McCain told
supporters late Tuesday. 'And I don't really mind it one bit.'
Although the race is not over, Super Tuesday virtually handed
McCain an insurmountable lead, freeing him up to finish off his
competition and begin focusing on the general election, while
neither Obama, 46, or Clinton, 60, emerged as a clear frontrunner.
Only last summer, McCain's campaign appeared to be short lived.
He was struggling to raise money, hold onto staff and had to shutter
offices. McCain's hardline stance on Iraq also did its share of
damage. He backed Bush in opposing withdrawal deadlines, and called
for a troop buildup long before Bush's January 2007 order to do so.
The troop surge has since sharply decreased the violence in Iraq
and reinvigorated the US mission. But like the effort in Iraq, a
presidential campaign is a long, hard slog, and the slightest slip
up can undo a candidate.
McCain's moderate domestic views have helped him win independent
votes, and capitalize on the split in the conservative base between
Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. But his
independence might alienate him from rank-and-file Republicans and
prompt them to stay home in November.
Defeated by Bush for the 2000 Republican nomination, McCain also
has a reputation for a hot temper, and will need to ensure it is not
displayed under the intense pressure of a presidential campaign.
McCain, however, brings 'war hero' credentials to the White House
at a time when America considers itself in a conflict with Islamic
terrorism. A Vietnam War pilot, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967
and spent more than five years as a prisoner, frequently enduring
torture at the hands of his captors.
His experience led him to champion legislation in Congress in
2005 banning the inhumane treatment of prisoners in the war on
terrorism, including at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and restricted
interrogation methods for all parts of the US government to the
rules outlined in the Army's field manual. His amendment passed the
Senate by a 90-9 vote despite the Bush administration's opposition,
spearheaded by Vice President Dick Cheney.
USA
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