He's In! (McCain officially declares run)

Drudge Report ^ | 2-28-2007 | Drudge

[cdbull23]

McCain announces on Letterman tonight he is running for President, says source that sat through the taping... He was sitting in the chair when he told Dave and the audience. He was wildly applauded.... MORE...

[cdbull23]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. John McCain will officially enter the presidential race - his second run after a bitter loss to George W. Bush in 2000 - with a formal announcement in early April.

The Arizona senator disclosed the timing of the long-expected announcement in a taping for the "Late Show With David Letterman" on CBS for airing Wednesday night.

"I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States," the senator told the talk show host - and then added he would give a formal speech to that effect in early April.

There was no doubt that McCain would eventually become a full-fledged White House candidate, and he had been expected to make his candidacy official in the spring.

The 2006 midterm campaign had just ended when McCain took the first formal step toward a presidential run in November. He formed an exploratory committee and gave a speech casting himself as a "common-sense conservative" in the vein of Ronald Reagan who could lead the party back to dominance after a dreadful election season by returning to the GOP's core principles.

A political celebrity, McCain is considered a top contender for the nomination.

However, he faces strong challenges from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has widened his lead over McCain in popularity polls in recent weeks, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is little-known nationally but is drawing notice for his deft fundraising.

The other two have spent the past two months mostly campaigning while McCain largely has been tied to Capitol Hill in his role as the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is focused largely on the unpopular Iraq war.

McCain, a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has emerged as the Senate's go-to guy on Iraq. He has become President Bush's most outspoken supporter of sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, a position that could endear him to GOP primary voters but anger much of the rest of the electorate.

A four-term senator, McCain unsuccessfully ran for president in 2000 against Bush and has been laying the groundwork for a second run for more than a year.

Since losing that race, McCain has alternately challenged and embraced the president, building an independent reputation as one who isn't afraid to speak his mind. At the same time, he's sought to mend fences with conservatives he alienated in his first presidential run.

Should he win this nomination and then the presidency, McCain, 70, would be the oldest president ever sworn into office for a first term. Only Reagan, who was 73 at the start of his second term, was older.

Full article now up on Drudge: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070301/D8NJ1UL81.html

[Miss Didi]

Yes, they teased it all morning on Fox & Friends. "Stay tuned, Tom Ridge is making a BIG announcement about '08!" I was so depressed; I thought he was running, too. He then came on to officially endorse McCain. What a relief!

[seekthetruth]

No, I am in Florida. Did Ridge endorse McCain?? Thanks!

[deport]

McCain's in..... Guess he wanted to jump in before bottoming out..... The wheels maybe coming off his campaign wagon but at least he has some wheels. Some others are trying to figure out how to make a wheel out of a block of wood.....

New York, New York appears to be in the making, reckon?

---

Without Gingrich (recalculated, based on second choice of Gingrich voters):

					.
		2/22-25/07
		%
	Rudy Giuliani	53
	John McCain	23
	Mitt Romney	5
	Sam Brownback	2
	Mike Huckabee	2
	Tommy Thompson	2
	Chuck Hagel	1
	George Pataki	1
	Ron Paul	1
	Tom Tancredo	1
	Jim Gilmore	-
	Duncan Hunter	-
	None of these (vol.)	2
	Wouldn't vote (vol.)	1
	Unsure	5

[jdm]

I believe he did. I saw a thread on here earlier about it.

[Chena]

I wonder if I'd get flamed if I said I'd prefer Giuliani over McCain. No time like the present to find out. LOL

[CharlesWayneCT]

I thought he was waiting until his numbers were in the single digits.

[manapua]

McCain's in? Geez, the Democratic field is really filling up.

[ShawTaylor]

"building an independent reputation as one who isn't afraid to speak his mind. "

Well McPian, I am not afraid to speak my mind either: "No votes for you".

[SampleMan]

He was wildly applauded

Of course. They're all Democrats. But they aren't going to vote for him.

[alarm rider]

I'll bet Ms. Lindsay is so happy, he headed for the fainting couch.

[Psycho_Bunny]

If you're gonna post The Flib, post him right!.....and don't explain the joke to dumb Americans who've never see Red Dwarf....lol

 

[Agent Smith]

Sorry Johnny McLame, I will organize Republicans for Evita Rodham, rather than vote for you. I prefer my candidates to be sane, even if they are evil.

[Mr. Brightside]

McCain figures he better enter the race before Giuliani and Romney force him out.

[Fireone]

Letterman has run a non-stop love fest for Bill Clinton
since Bush won the election. Anyone told McCain what side
he's on?

[fkabuckeyesrule]

Other than supporting the surge I can't think of any major issues that I support him on.

[rockabyebaby]

YAWN.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............zzzzzzzzzzzzz............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............is algore running as well, rumor has it that if he starts losing weight he's going to run again...............zzzzzzzzzzzzz..............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Tzimisce]

That's nice. I'm still not voting for you McCain...

[rockabyebaby]

Excellent post!

[Liberty Valance]

"Now uh, Senator McCain...
just how big is your carbon footprint?"