John McCain: An unwavering resolve

by Jill Zuckman

MIAMI -- John McCain was never supposed to be here, holding rallies, waving to supporters, one step from the presidency.

His campaign was left for dead during the primaries, and polls have consistently shown him trailing Barack Obama. Yet he soldiers on, alternately wistful, reflective and pugnacious. "Nothing is inevitable here," McCain told a Florida crowd last week. "We don't hide from history. We make history."

That McCain is here at all, at the end of this election, is a surprise to many. Most surprised of all, perhaps, are his former Republican opponents, who thought McCain would be campaigning for them by this time, not the other way around. When McCain's primary campaign went broke last year, they effusively praised his courage and virtue, so sure were they that he was finished.

Most presidential campaigns are disorganized, unruly affairs, but McCain's 2008 campaign may be unique. From his days as a Navy cadet and fighter pilot, McCain has exhibited the temperament of a freewheeling risk-taker, and that personality has infused his campaign.

Sen. John Sidney McCain of Arizona, the son and grandson of Navy admirals, began his quest for the presidency in 1999, lost to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the 2000 primaries, bided his time through two terms, and then tried again.

This time, rather than play the role of charming underdog to a better-funded, better-organized opponent, McCain assembled a massive front-runner's operation, snapping up his party's high-priced consultants and fundraisers, anticipating a romp through the primaries.

It didn't work out that way. McCain was closely tied to the unpopular Iraq War, and he had angered his party's loyalists with his independence. His campaign's size and cost far outpaced his actual support. A new "Straight Talk Express" bus, with flat-screen televisions and leather swivel chairs, cost $9,000 a day. Campaign events routinely hit $25,000 a pop.

By June 2007, the campaign was out of money. McCain parted ways with campaign manager Terry Nelson and longtime political adviser John Weaver. Many other staffers were let go. Consultants were bid farewell. Campaign offices were closed.

It seemed impossible that McCain would win the Republican nomination, let alone the presidency.

"As Chairman Mao says, `It's always darkest before it's totally black,' " he told a horde of reporters who came to New Hampshire -- "to watch the embalming," as he put it.

Later, he told the Tribune, "I had no illusions of how tough it was. But I never thought of it in terms of, `Well, you're basically through.' "

Instead, he flew Southwest Airlines to Manchester, N.H., carrying his own suitcase, riding around the state in a car--not a bus--with a friend doing the driving. He held one town hall meeting after another, answering often-hostile questions from small groups.

McCain was also seemingly on the wrong side of two of the biggest issues of the day. On immigration, he was trying to broker a compromise that was toxic to many GOP voters. On the war in Iraq, he was urging more troops when most others were talking about withdrawal.

But over time, McCain's Republican rivals -- including Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson--did not wear well. The immigration compromise failed in the Senate, allowing voter anger to fade. And the troop surge was contributing to a turnaround in Iraq, winning McCain some credit. "There's resilience to this guy and to his campaign," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.).

In the end, like Barack Obama on the Democratic side, McCain seemed more a survivor of the primaries than a victor. With triumphs in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, California, New York and Illinois, he was the last man standing.

Still, McCain has found himself competing in possibly the most anti-Republican climate since Watergate.

President Bush is deeply unpopular. A large majority of the nation believes the U.S. is on the wrong track. The global financial meltdown has been laid at the feet of the GOP. The Democratic nominee has virtually unlimited funds. And many voters seem to feel, if not anger toward the Republican Party, at least a sense that the Democrats should be given a chance.

That has reduced some McCain aides to arguing that even running a close race is impressive.

"For McCain to be within 20 points of the guy is a remarkable accomplishment," said Mark Salter, McCain's senior adviser. "If he pulls this off, it's because he was successful in getting people to see that only one candidate is experienced and tested and equipped to be a president in uncertain times."

Still, McCain's plight cannot be attributed solely to the political climate. Some of his decisions now are seen as unwise at best, intemperate at worst.

His choice of a running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has buoyed the conservative base but alienated the middle of the spectrum and now appears to be a drag on the ticket. McCain's decision to suspend his campaign to tackle the financial crisis backfired.

Still, the race is not over, and some polls appear to be tightening. McCain's campaign insists his anti-tax message featuring "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher -- the latest of several messages his campaign has adopted--is catching on.

In the aptly named Defiance, Ohio, on the front lawn of the community auditorium and the middle school, the leaves were a fiery orange-yellow on a recent day, and the air was chilly. But there was a sense of promise, even when "Joe the Plumber" turned out to be a no-show.

Relentlessly pounding Obama, McCain said the Democrat was seeking to be "the redistributionist in chief," who would raise taxes and increase spending and would not know what to do when he's tested in an international crisis.

"The pundits have written us off just like they've done several times before," McCain said. "My opponent is working out the details, with Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and Sen. [Harry] Reid, of their plans to raise your taxes, increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq. He's measuring the drapes and he gave his first address to the nation before the election."

And he insisted, "We're a few points down, but we're coming back."