Dec 18, 2007 3:30 pm US/Central
McCain's Comeback Bid May Be Gaining Steam
SALEM, N.H. (CBS News) ―
He's on the road again, and on a roll again, in the state he won by a landslide in 2000.
Last summer
John McCain saw his early front-runner status wiped out amid financial collapse and a mass staff exodus.
Now, months after being written off, McCain is back on the Straight
Talk Express, rolling through New Hampshire, the scene of his greatest
political triumph, and now the state for what will be the most serious,
and obviously last chance, at the presidency, CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports.
"I'm having more fun, when we're going uphill and beating the
odds," McCain said. "I think that's just the nature of my personality,
and it's incredibly not smart."
In the last four days, he's won the backing of the conservative
Manchester Union Leader and the liberal Boston Globe, a first-time feat
for any canadidate. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, a frequent
foe, offers him praise. Polls show him moving into second place in New
Hampshire, though well behind leader
Mitt Romney.
Why? In part - his performance in the debates for example - this defense of his unpopular stand on immigration.
"I want you to next time you're down in Washington, D.C., to go to
the Vietnam War memorial and look at the names engraved in black
granite. You'll find a whole lot of Hispanic names," he said at one.
But outside events have also helped, like the evident success of
Gen. David Petraeus' Iraq surge, which has vindicated McCain's
long-standing critique of the old strategy.
"I just don't think my candidacy could have been revived if the Petraeus strategy failed," McCain said. "I just don't think so."
Further, discontent with the field has pushed some Republicans to
take a second look at a candidate often at odds with his party's base.
"The independent voters here in New Hampshire are not going to
break until late. People in South Carolina have not made up their minds
yet and so it's just not predictable," McCain said.
The McCain game plan: Beat Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, win
Michigan - where independents can vote - count on the Internet for a
surge of money for Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
And convince his party he's their best chance in November.
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