How loyal to President Bush?
Throughout Bush’s presidency, McCain has behaved in turns both loyally when the chips are down (see Iraq and Dubai ports) and as a critic (see torture). Whether intentionally or not, he has set himself up potentially to capture a wide swath of the GOP, and then some, analysts say. And as corruption scandals in the GOP whet voters’ appetites for integrity in public leaders, that’s another card McCain can try to play, they add. “At the moment, McCain fits the bill of the type of candidate Republicans are looking for, in light of what’s happening to the Bush presidency,” says Dick Bennett, head of American Research Group polling firm. “He can be a conservative Republican to conservative Republicans, he can be more moderate to independent voters, because of the straight-talk aspect. He fits the profile of what different voters want.
