McCain snub of California

[thepurpose]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)

As it heads into California, Sen. John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" is taking a sharp detour around rival Gov. George W. Bush.

Far behind in the polls among GOP voters here, McCain abruptly ducked out of a scheduled Republican debate Thursday with Bush, leaving California voters with only TV ads and mainstream media coverage to assess the GOP candidates on issues important to California before the March 7 primary.

McCain and his aides have repeatedly said the entire GOP nomination will be decided in California, and the campaign said it plans to spend six of the next nine days in California and buy $3 million in TV ads. But by dropping out of Thursday's debate - and events in the Bay Area last week - the Arizona senator clearly is refocusing some of his efforts on the East Coast, where polls show he is doing better and may want to maintain his lead.

The last-minute switch is also a product, in part, of California's new early primary, which gives the state more clout in choosing a president but compacts the campaign schedule and forces candidates to traverse the country on frenetic schedules. When McCain canceled events in California last week, he said he was tired and needed a brief break.

Both Bush and McCain do plan to spend several days campaigning in the Golden State leading up to the primary. McCain's campaign bus has been nicknamed the "Straight Talk Express" to emphasize what his campaign sees as one of his greatest virtues.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/2000/02/28/NEWS11978.dtl&hw=mccain&sn=010&sc=772