McCain Acknowledges Steep Hill in Iowa

[December 27, 2007]  COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) -- Republican John McCain has put much of his time and effort into other states, but suggested Wednesday that recent endorsements could lead Iowa voters to give his presidential campaign another look.

McCain acknowledged facing hurdles because of his position on immigration and his opposition to subsidies for the ethanol industry, two issues on voters' minds in the state that on Jan. 3 starts the process for choosing the nominees for president.

"I think immigration, and the fact I don't support ethanol subsidies" contributed to his single-digit status in the polls here, McCain said. "We just do the best we can. We've got a good organization on the ground and we hope for the best."

As McCain opened a two-day swing through heavily Republican western Iowa, he again found himself on the receiving end of criticism from rival Mitt Romney. McCain was a key supporter of federal immigration legislation that Congress failed to pass, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Critics called the provision a reward for law breakers. McCain since has shifted his position to focus more on securing the border.

Romney accused McCain of flip-flops on immigration and tax cuts; McCain said Romney was in a "tailspin" and lashing out at his rivals.

"I appreciate all the attention," said Sen. McCain, R-Ariz. "It's not unexpected. This is a sign of the success we're having in New Hampshire."

McCain began campaigning as the presumed front-runner, but lost ground after financial trouble forced him to cut his staff. Since then, he has focused on New Hampshire, where he won the Republican presidential primary in 2000, in hopes of a repeat performance.

While McCain trails in single digits in Iowa polling, he is running a close second to Romney in New Hampshire, which votes Jan. 8.

"We're getting down to the final days and we're happy with the way things are going, but we've still got a very tough fight here in Iowa," McCain said. "We're working hard and we have a very good organization but we have a very long way to go."

He suggested that recent endorsements in both states could help him.

McCain recently has been endorsed by The Des Moines Register and Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut senator and independent who was the Democrats' vice presidential nominee in 2000. McCain also has earned backing from The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, Romney's hometown newspapers, as well as from former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, who was chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

"It prompts people to give us a second look. I'm not sure it gives people a reason to vote for a person," McCain said. "I think it makes people say `I'll go out and give this person a second look.'"

Though McCain is trailing in Iowa, the outcome here still could be important for him because of the dynamic of the Republican race. Most polls show former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has moved ahead of Romney and into the lead in Iowa. If Huckabee wins, it could be bad for Romney in New Hampshire, where he is trying hard to keep McCain at bay.

McCain warned against the increasingly strident tone of the campaign, saying it turns off voters and could hurt the GOP in the long run.

"Voters don't like these personal attacks and attack ads. We've stayed away from that kind of stuff," he said. "Voters are sick and tired of that kind of stuff and we won't be doing it."

[Associated Press; By MIKE GLOVER]

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