McCain Scrambles to Control Backers
Local radio talk show host Bill Cunningham introduces John McCain at a campaign event Tuesday in Cincinnati. McCain afterward repudiated comments made by Cunningham seen as disparaging toward Barack Obama. (AP Photo)
Though John McCain vowed that attacks on Barack Obama at his campaign events “will never happen again,” the Republican presidential candidate says he’s concerned he may be unable to control all of his supporters - especially third party groups.
At a rally in Cincinnati Tuesday, McCain denounced the remarks of local radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, who introduced the candidate with several attacks on Obama, including suggesting he is a “hack” who would sit down for tea with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah terror leaders.
Cunningham also called Obama by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, during the on-stage introduction. McCain immediately denounced the remarks and promised a civil debate should Obama become the Democratic presidential nominee.
But speaking to reporters aboard his campaign tour bus late Tuesday, McCain acknowledged that conservative independent groups pursuing a similar line to Cunningham’s could be impossible to control.
“I think you have to worry about that, particularly the 527s,” McCain said, referring to the independent advocacy groups that are not subject to contributor limits.
“We’re aware of many of the things that 527s have done … where unlimited amounts of money can pour into negative campaigns such as we saw against John Kerry and his combat record, as we saw against (former Georgia Sen.) Max Cleland … they’re really very not accountable to anyone. At least I have to say ‘I’m John McCain and I approve this message.’”
Some critics blame his signature campaign finance reform legislation, co-sponsored with Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, for the explosion of uncontrolled 527 groups. But, McCain said the law is not the problem and argued that 527 groups were able to sprout up as a result of loophole in a 1974 campaign finance law.
McCain said he would do his best to prevent dirty politicking by his campaign and surrogates.
“The moral of the story is we just have to have stronger control of our campaign. … There is no excuse for what happened today,” he said, adding that his campaign has plans to expand its bare bones staff.
Cunningham says he was told by party officials to give the audience red meat to warm up the crowd that came to see McCain. He says he did and the crowd loved it, but McCain then threw him under the bus. Cunningham says McCain has now lost his support.
“I’m gonna follow the lead of Ann Coulter. I’ve had it with John McCain,” Cunningham told FOX News’ “Hannity & Colmes.”
“I’m going to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president because she would do a better job in the Oval Office, I think, than the liberal John McCain. I’m done with him.”
Cunningham said McCain “embarrassed himself,” and then made up a name of his own for the Arizona senator, “John Juan Pablo McCain,” an apparent reference to McCain’s sponsorship of immigration reform legislation. He added that McCain should be “repudiating Democrats and leaving conservatives alone.”
Meanwhile, as McCain preaches civility, his own campaign put out a call to Obama’s camp to call off Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who has been attacking McCain for choosing to forgo public campaign financing.
“Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee leadership have launched a personal and negative assault on Senator McCain’s character. Howard Dean himself questioned Senator McCain’s integrity, and a DNC official called McCain a liar,” said Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker.
“We agree with the Obama campaign’s statement today that this debate should be respectful and focused on issues, and it would be encouraging to see Senator Obama denounce the character attacks coming from the leadership of his party.”
FOX News’ Mosheh Oinounou contributed to this report.
Vote Huckabee! I think McCain would make a better Democrate Nominee based on his voting record. Hillary is just more lies and false promises, and Obama scares me. He was raised Muslim and if you notice, he never mentions his faith or God or even a God bless you. He may claim to be a Christian because it’s polictically correct, but just listen to Mike Huckabee give a speech and you will be able to see what a true Christian is like. My vote is for the Huckster!
The reason your not seeing Huckabee is because the Boss media says no Huckabee and no fair tax. The media propaganda machine has already labeled him and done a blackout on him. McCain will not let him debate. The only way you will see Huckabee is on SNL which out did the Dem Debate. It’s unfortuneate the media has this much power Hannity, Rush, Coulter, and the rest work for the media and there is no way they are paying a fair tax.
We’re screwed. I listened to the intro in CIN OH and agreed with everything the radio host said. He used Osama’s (darn, I mean Obama’s) real name and McCain attacked him implying that the guy was being a racist or some such nonsense. I mean he is called Hussein for crying out loud! That gut reaction from McCain only confirms that he is a liberal. Only a liberal would attack a conservative for being truthful. Either way, come Nov 08 we get a liberal, blame America first, open border hack in the White House. We’re screwed.
Some people have an awful lot of nerve trying to tell someone (ANYONE) whether they are a Christian or not. How dare you! Who do you think you are! Conservative Christians are NOT the only Christians in the world! There are plenty of other Christians who do not share your political views and when they tell you that they don’t like you, you want to whine that they are “anti-Christian.” Bull!
All of you who are spouting this “Obama is a Muslim” campaign are only revealing your own prejudice and bigotry.
Whether you think McCain is not conservative enough is up for you to decide. But their is a bigger issue in this election and its National Security. John McCain is by far the better choice to combat the growing threat in Russia, China, and the Middle East. People of common sense and Republicans need to unite behind Senator McCain.
McCain and his ilk can just vote for themselves, because I sure won’t. I hope he can revote a few million times, because that’s what it going to take in light of all of the ‘quote conservatives’ as he calls us that wouldn’t walk across the street to shake his hand, let alone vote for that self-serving, useless, arrogant, sell-out.
I’d vote for the known lib Hill before I’d ever vote for the unpredictable, unknown, turncoat McCain.
It would be in the best interest of the Republican Party, if Senator McCain would arrange a debate with Ron Paul and MIke Huckabee, so that the Republican thinking on our state of the union and the Republcan solutions for the up coming challenges could be show-cased for the American people. We have been inundated with endless democratic debates in the past weeks. This would be a generous gesture on the part of Senator McCain, since currently he has the most pledged delegates and he does not need the debate. But it would strengthen him for future debates with the democrats.
People like this idiot Cunningham and Ann Cult-er give Conservatives and Reagan a bad name. The wackos on the Far Right are just as bad as the wackos on the Far Left– that’s why Cult-er and CunningPIG ooops, I meant CunningHAM, are so quick to support Billary!! What a couple of hypocrites… They’re only interested in one thing: getting more ratings and $$$$$ for themselves and the free publicity… wake up you idiot ditto-heads. You’re not True Conservatives; you’re sheeple.
I don’t agree with everything McCain has done, but his long record shows that he is a made of honesty and integrity, that’s more than I can say most politicians– so wake up you people who think you’re “Reagan Conservatives”; you’re only what your talk show hosts tell you you are… you’re really just sheep ready for the sheering… go buy another book from Rush Limbaaaaaaa…
and then vote for McCain in Nov.
You know you will.
is this guy even news-worthy… the headline for this article isn’t even a good one… this guy obviously has some ego issues to respond to a little correction that way.
since when do conservatives act classless like the liberals have to date, and then bail out when they get “thrown under the bus?” he didn’t get thrown under the bus. he said some things that mccain didn’t want attributed to his campaign, mccain addressed it, he got upset, and now he’s supporting clinton. wow, impressive stance there, dude.
i, for one, wish that we all would act like the republican guys have. in an instance when huckabee could’ve taken a chunk out of mccain, he didn’t. it probably would’ve been satisfying. he didn’t though. he chose to stay above it and i have a lot of respect for that choice. our forefathers used tact and diplomacy, even with their worst enemies. why can’t we?
hey, let the dem’s chew each other up. we’re all getting a good look at what they’ll be like when it gets hot and stressful later on.
at least the republican guys have been civil, even when they didn’t have to be… i’d rather have someone in office that can take a little heat instead of cracking like a poorly-made clay pot when it gets intense.
McCain is a phony! He wants to debate Obama before the Republican nomination is done. Mike Huckabee has asked him to participate in a national debate on the issues and he has declined. He is afraid to debate the only conservative left in the race because his liberal credentials will show. He doesn’t care about the “Consent of the Governed”, he is sending out a smoke screen of answers with no substance. I challenge him to debate Mike Huckabee but doubt he will take the challenge due to his liberal stances on the issues. Even more, I challenge Foxnews to set up this debate and challenge Mr. McCain to attend. Stop hiding Senator and let the nation decide who would better serve our future.