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 "The transcendent issue of the 21st century is the struggle against radical Islamic extremism and I, with considerable ego, say that I'm the best prepared and qualified to meet this challenge," the Arizona senator says in a new online video that details his decades-long military career and includes footage of his nearly six-year Vietnam imprisonment.
In a letter to supporters, McCain adds: "We are at a crossroads in this struggle, and we will need a president who has the credibility to lead, the experience to lead wisely and the strength of will to take the right path, even if it means walking a lonely road."
The former Navy pilot returns to Iowa on Sunday for a string of patriotic Labor Day events, the start of a fall effort to regain traction after a summer marked by a staff exodus, a drained bank account, a management change and sagging poll numbers.
As the country focuses on a highly anticipated report on the war next month, McCain will present arguments in Washington and on the campaign trail for staying
-- and winning -- in Iraq while Democrats push for a withdrawal timetable. He hopes to generate public support for President Bush's plan for a continued presence in Iraq and, at the same time, momentum for his own bid.
The strategy carries a risk; a majority of the U.S. public opposes the war. But Republicans are more supportive
-- a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed that 70 percent of them approve of Bush's handling of Iraq. That, coupled with signs of security progress in Iraq, could benefit McCain in a GOP primary.
"This is not just about winning votes in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire, it's about winning an issue. And it's an issue that he very much believes in," said Rick Davis, his campaign manager.
To that end, McCain will embark on a mid-September campaign swing dubbed the "No Surrender" tour. Events are planned for various Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion halls in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The tour culminates with a rally at the Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
Military veterans will play a role throughout, with several of McCain's fellow Vietnam prisoners of war joining him at rally-style events. He'll also press his message in one, maybe two, Sunday morning news show interviews, and during speeches to the California Republican Party and the Hudson Institute in New York.
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 When in Washington, McCain, the lead Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also will take a high-profile role during a debate over the war as U.S. military commanders officially report to Congress that progress has been made on the security front with the completion of the U.S. troop buildup.
McCain, who has two sons in the military, including a 19-year-old Marine in Iraq, has little choice but to make the case for a continued military mission. He has advocated for an increase in U.S. troops to stabilize Iraq since 2003
-- a stance earning him criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Earlier this year, Bush essentially adopted McCain's troop-increase strategy, and the senator's political future became directly linked to the war's outcome.
"Nothing goes to his commander-in-chief credentials more than that four years ago, almost alone among politicians, McCain was calling for this very strategy
-- and now it's showing success," said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to the senator.
Beyond September, McCain also will emphasize his efforts to reform the federal government, rein in spending, fix the health care system and seat judges who won't make decisions that conservatives view as legislating from the bench.
"There are certain key challenges where the time to act is now," McCain says in the letter that laid out his priorities.
His aides argue that the campaign has turned a corner from its woes and now has sound organizations and grassroots backers in key battlegrounds, double-digit support in some state surveys and strong voter attendance at events. Major staff layoffs and significant budget cuts have allowed the campaign to start climbing out of the red. Donations continue, with the campaign seeing a spike in July through direct mail and the Internet.
One test comes Sept. 30, the end of the third financial quarter. A big fundraising push is planned in the run up to it. The hope is that McCain will find momentum in September, and the money will follow, putting him on solid footing three months before voting begins.
[Associated Press; by Liz Sidoti]
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