McCain weighs the odds
Posted: Friday, June 15, 2007 3:21 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Republicans
From NBC's Carrie Dann
It doesn't take an advanced degree in punditry to see that McCain is making a heck of a gamble. He's building his presidential campaign around two unpopular stances on two divisive issues -- Iraq and immigration. But the new life being breathed into the senator's comprehensive immigration reform bill today appears to be matched by his renewed confidence that he's placed a smart bet.
Asked by reporters if the weight of the bill's controversies could drown his presidential ambitions, McCain emphatically disagreed. "I think there's a long-term political benefit to getting something done," he said.
The senator even hinted that immigration could be the masterwork that would catapult -- not derail -- his Oh-eight run. "If we pass legislation," he said, "then I will have satisfied the desire of the majority of Americans."
The McCain camp may be hoping that their boss's big-picture bet has a better payoff than this week's gutsy offensive jabs at Romney, which prompted a furious volley of rapid response and some speculation that the once-frontrunner is making desperate moves.
Today, McCain backed off when asked about the civil-war-battle du jour -- a Politico report that the McCain camp has purchased rights to the web address "MittVsFact.com." While he didn't deny that his shop bought the site, McCain firmly stated that his campaign won't use it as an attack platform.
"We will not use it. Period," McCain said.