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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arizona Sen. John McCain, taking the first step toward a 2008 White House bid, said on Thursday a return to principles of limited government and "common sense conservatism" would carry Republicans back to power after last week's election drubbing. "We lost our principles and our majority. And there is no way to recover our majority without recovering our principles first," McCain told the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, in the first of two high-profile speeches kicking off his expected presidential campaign. McCain, an early favorite in what promises to be a crowded Republican presidential field, filed...

"He [Michael Graham] also mentioned my abridgement of First Amendment rights, i.e. talking about campaign finance reform....I know that money corrupts....I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government."

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) is emerging as the bipartisan scold whom neither presidential candidate can get enough of this year. Although the maverick Arizona senator hasn't been shy about taking both campaigns to task, Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) sounded out McCain as a possible running mate and President Bush (news - web sites) will showcase him on the opening night of the Republican National Convention.