McCain camp mum on Gramm status
Posted: Friday, July 18, 2008 3:52 PM by Mark Murray
From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
Conservative columnist Bob Novak is reporting that Phil Gramm apologized to McCain for his "nation of whiners" comment, and that Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate to the campaign.
Asked for a response to this news, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers told First Read: "No comment. We have nothing to announce on Sen. Gramm."
Last week, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported that, per GOP sources, McCain wasn't expected to strip Gramm of his "volunteer designation" as co-chair of the McCain campaign, and that the former Texas senator remains a "trusted friend of the campaign." However, they did say that other surrogates and advisers -- like Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Carly Fiorina -- would be driving the campaign's economic policy.
Last Friday, McCain said that he didn't agree with Gramm's comments to the Washington Times last week that the United States was only in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners."
"Phil Gramm does not speak for me; I speak for me," McCain said.
And when asked whether Gramm would possibly serve as Treasury secretary in a McCain Administration, the presumptive GOP nominee replied, "I think Sen. Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I'm not sure that citizens of Minsk would welcome to that."