McCain Rallys Troops In Seattle

By Will Mari

Sen. John McCain spoke to a crowd of about 500 at a rally at the Seattle Westin Friday night.

Flanked by five American flags and a phalanx of state Republican leaders, including former Sen. Slade Gorton, former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, Congressman Dave Reichert and state GOP chair Luke Esser, an energetic McCain pressed home the case for his conservative credentials on a variety of issues, including taxes, the war in Iraq, terrorism and government spending.

He also called on his supporters to go out and caucus for him Saturday afternoon.

"We're doing very well, but it's not over yet," he said. "I'm counting on you," he added, pointed to a noisy crowd of military vets, couples and college students.

McCain invoked the name of Ronald Reagan several times, urging supporters of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney to join his campaign for the sake of party unity.

"Gov. Romney and I had a very good conversation," and "I look forward to working with him as we unite the party" he said, congratulating Romney for running a "tough, hard, good campaign."

Applause and cheers rose from the audience. Others listened quietly.

Among them were Gary and Mary Johnson of Port Orchard, Wash. The two were staying at the Westin for the weekend. They came more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Our best friends are incredibly Democratic," said Gary, who tends to lean a bit more to the right.

So far, they've been uncomfortable with what they feel is the influence of the religious right on the GOP candidates, McCain included. One issue they disagree with him on is abortion -- they strongly oppose his anti-abortion stance

But Mary, an elementary school teacher, said they like McCain's experience and the way he has said he'll fight the war in Iraq.

"I'd like to see us out of Iraq, but we have to do it responsibly," she said.

Tyler Cook, a senior majoring in finance at Seattle University, said he attends rallies like McCain's to get a better idea of where a candidate stands on the issues.

Calling himself an undecided Republican, Cook said that he supported former Tenn. Sen. Fred Thompson before he dropped out last month.

He said that the GOP race as it stands now lacks the sizzle and flare it had a couple of weeks ago, for better or worse.

"It's not a controversy to have a white male make a run for president," he said.

As McCain exited through a side door crowded with media people, Kris West, already a staunch McCain backer, felt reassured that he was the best remaining Republican candidate.

"He's not a flash in the pan," she said. "He's the real deal."

Her husband David, who until recently supported Romney, watched McCain's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

"I became a McCain fan overnight," he said, citing national security as his key issue.

Congressman Dave Reichert, who represents the 8th District and who has endorsed McCain, called it a "great speech" that appealed to former Romney supporters for their caucus votes.

Reichert was also pleased that Washington has an important role to play in the presidential campaign this year. The state is "in the thick of things" and has an opportunity to influence the national course of events, he said.

Later, as the evening wound down and the chairs and rope lines were put away, I talked to Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, McCain's state committee chair, about whether or not Romney fans will turn out to caucus for McCain on Saturday.

"Give 'em a little time," said McKenna. "I think we'll see Romney behind McCain" soon, quite literally, following the lead of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, he said.

McKenna got the call that his candidate was coming to town on Wednesday, and had to scramble to get something ready for Friday.

"This was put together on incredibly short notice," he said.

And while he said that McCain hasn't always done the best in the caucus states, he thinks his candidate will use a strong second-place finish to go on to win the Feb. 19 Republican primary -- and the other half of Washington State's delegates.