McCain Tries to
Assuage Conservatives

Republican John McCain is trying to ease the distrust the party's powerful conservatives have long held for him. It will be a slow process.

''I believe that the majority of Republican Party conservatives are convinced that I'm best equipped to lead this country, unify our party, and take on the challenge of radical Islamic extremism,'' McCain told reporters Saturday.

As Super Tuesday looms -- and the possibility that McCain could all but wrap up the nomination -- the chattering conservative class is in an uproar. Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh has warned that McCain as standard-bearer would destroy the Republican Party. Author and pundit Ann Coulter, in jaw-dropping heresy, said she would campaign for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton if McCain wins the party nod. Commentators Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin have come out in support of McCain's rival, Mitt Romney.

Surrogates for the former Massachusetts governor have claimed that McCain is outside the GOP mainstream.

''If you are a Republican in the broadest sense, there is only one place to go right now, and that's Mitt Romney,'' said former Pennsylvania U.S. senator Rick Santorum.

In four terms in the Senate, McCain has built a solid conservative record on scores of issues. He consistently opposed abortion and favored gun rights. He has challenged runaway federal spending and lawmakers' pet projects. He is a defense hawk and has been one of the strongest backers of the Iraq war.

But McCain has bucked the party over the years on high-profile issues and, in doing so, made his share of enemies on the Right.

He coauthored campaign finance reforms that critics say limit free speech, made combating global warming a priority, and supported an eventual path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. He twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts, favored relaxing restrictions on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research, and objected to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage although he opposes same-sex unions.

To assuage conservatives, McCain has rolled out endorsements from leading conservatives and aired a new television ad that mentions Ronald Reagan. He plans to attend a major gathering of conservatives later this month.

McCain also is appealing to the pragmatic side of conservatives, stressing the need for a unified party in what is certain to be a fierce fight for the White House.

In recent days McCain has won the backing of Texas governor Rick Perry, businessman and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, onetime solicitor general Ted Olson, and former Oklahoma U.S. senator Don Nickles.

He also launched a new television ad that emphasizes his links to Ronald Reagan and labels him ''the true conservative'' who is ''ready to be commander in chief on day one,'' an implicit contrast with Romney, who McCain has criticized for changing positions on a number of issues and for lacking strong foreign policy credentials.

''As a prisoner of war, John McCain was inspired by Ronald Reagan,'' the ad says. ''Guided by strong conservative principles, he'll cut wasteful spending and keep taxes low. A proud social conservative who will never waver.''

In the short term McCain is helped by Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist preacher who remains in the race and could split the conservative vote with Romney in the Bible Belt and elsewhere. Seeking to capitalize, McCain visited Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia on Saturday.

In the long term ''it is critical for him to build a strong and stable bridge to the constituency that every cycle rings the phones, knocks on the doors, and gets the vote out,'' said Greg Mueller, a conservative-Republican strategist. ''Endorsements alone will not be enough. Many conservatives will look to see what issues he emphasizes on the campaign trail from now until Election Day.''

McCain aides are mindful of that, and he's started to make a ''big tent'' argument.

''We need all parts of our party together if we're going to win in November. I believe our party is beginning to realize that,'' McCain said Thursday at a Los Angeles news conference where he stood next to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, two Republicans who also rankle conservatives.

McCain aides say they are confident that the major conservative coalitions such as the National Rifle Association and the National Right to Life Committee will eventually fall in line behind McCain, and the campaign has reached out to such groups in recent weeks.

McCain also has tacked right on some issues.

He wants to extend Bush's tax cuts; he says doing otherwise would amount to a tax increase. He also champions border security first; he says he's listening to a public that spoke loudly during last year's passionate debate over immigration. He emphasizes federalism on the gay marriage question, saying states should decide.

''We'd like to have a total united party, but I also realize that there's some people that just may not be able to support me at the end of the day, and I understand that,'' McCain said. ''But I've got to work to get as much of the party as I can because we've got an uphill battle for November.'' (AP)