McCain steamrolls ahead, no break for Romney

“I have never, ever supported a specific timetable for exit from Iraq, and it’s offensive to me that someone would suggest that I have,” Romney said of McCain’s charge last weekend in Florida that his rival favoured a timetable for withdrawing US troops from Iraq.

Romney said that the news media had found the allegation to be misleading and questioned why McCain never leveled it in any prior debate.

“Raising it a few days before the Florida primary, when there was very little time for me to correct the record, when the question that was most frequently asked is, ‘Oh, you’re for a specific date of withdrawal’, sort of falls in the kind of dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found to be reprehensible,” Romney said. The debate was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Asked last April whether he believed there should be a timetable for withdrawing US troops, Romney said US and Iraqi leaders “have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about” in private.

During Wednesday’s debate, Romney said he was not calling for a specific withdrawal date.

McCain calmly replied, “Well, of course, he said he wanted a timetable.” He added: “Governor, the right answer to that question was ‘no’, not what you said.”

The back-and-forth highlighted Romney’s challenges as he seeks to knock McCain off his perch over the next six days.

McCain is the only Republican to have won three hotly contested primaries, racking up wins in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida to gain the lead in the delegate hunt and capture a jolt of momentum heading into next week’s primaries and caucuses.

McCain has found himself gaining the support of many members of the Republican Party’s old guard even though he’s long been considered an antagonist to the Republican establishment.

Shifting dynamics in the Republican field tilt in McCain’s favour. Giuliani dropped out of the race after seven consecutive losses, meaning McCain no longer has to fight with the former New York mayor over the same pool of voters. Both Giuliani and McCain attract moderate Republicans and those calling themselves independents.

Without Giuliani in the hunt anymore, many could turn to McCain. At the same time, Mike Huckabee announced his intention to go the distance in the race even though he hasn’t won a state since Iowa’s caucuses. The former Arkansas governor and one-time Baptist preacher attracts large numbers of the party’s most conservative voters – the same right-flank people Romney has spent more than a year courting. By staying in the race, Huckabee could eat into Romney’s support – and that could help McCain.

In another boost for McCain, Romney has signaled that he’s not ready to commit to a costly campaign in the states holding primaries and caucuses next week. His campaign was not attempting to purchase television advertising time in any of the states on the Super Tuesday calendar.