John McCain Embraces Leadership

From "maverick" to "King Arthur" in two presidential election cycles.

WASHINGTON - John McCain, a longtime Republican Party agitator, is easing into the role of its newfound leader.

He has met abroad with world leaders, intensified fundraising and taken control of the party apparatus. He is thinking about running mates and is introducing himself to the country. He's also made a few missteps and watched a challenging political terrain that favors Democrats grow more troublesome for the GOP.

"We're making the kind of progress I think needs to be made," the senator from Arizona said this week, expressing confidence — despite the private concerns of some Republicans — that his team is embracing the opportunity afforded him as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama continue to spar for the Democratic nod. "We've done a pretty good job of unifying our party. Now we've got to energize our party."

In the month since he clinched the GOP nomination and his White House campaign entered a new phase, McCain has moved forward on all fronts — from message to mechanics — to position himself for November's general election.

Bully for him. Here's the part that should concern the hard-core, "We need a Democrats in the White House" crowd:

As Democrats bicker, McCain has focused on these areas:

_Money. Fundraising is arguably his biggest weakness and, thus, highest priority. He raised only $11 million in February to a combined $80 million for Clinton and Obama, and has been slow to sign up many of Bush's big donors. Obama reported raising $40 million in March; Clinton said she raised $20 million. McCain is likely to surpass his February total but still trail his rivals. He held dozens of fundraisers last month and set up joint fundraising accounts with the Republican National Committee to encourage donations.

_Unity. Trying to heal wounds from a divisive GOP primary was a high priority for a candidate who has spent decades bucking the party on issues that resonate with conservatives. In hopes of getting critics to swing behind him, McCain appeared with Bush in the White House Rose Garden and received Nancy Reagan's endorsement. He also campaigned with former GOP rival Mitt Romney to show solidarity.

_Message. Speaking to a broader electorate, McCain, a former Navy pilot held prisoner during the Vietnam War, has cast himself as an experienced wartime commander in chief and statesman with his own vision, despite Democratic efforts to paint him as a Bush clone. McCain visited the Middle East, including Iraq, and Europe, where he met with allies. Stateside, he embarked on a weeklong biographical tour and began an ad campaign.

_Structure. McCain has dispatched four high-level allies to the RNC — Frank Donatelli, Lew Eisenberg, Carly Fiorina and Mike DuHaime — to meld its fundraising, get-out-the-vote and party-building operations with his own growing organization. His northern Virginia headquarters has hired more staffers and is creating offices in 10 regions of the country to decentralize the campaign.

_Vice President. McCain has a list of some 20 names from which he could choose a running mate and says he's in the "embryonic stages" of selecting someone. Aides say little to no significant vetting has occurred. The goal is to select someone before the nominating convention in early September, and McCain says he's mindful of the enhanced importance of the task because of his age. He is 71 and would be the oldest
president elected.

Money. Unity. Message. Structure. Running Mate. By the time this becomes the focus of the Democratic nominee, Sen. McCain would have the basics down, and his surrogates will be primed with talking points, slogans and logos.