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Washington: As his Democratic presidential rivals squabble, Senator John McCain has moved to transform his ragtag primary campaign into a general election operation by boosting fundraising, establishing control over the Republican National Committee and beginning a conversation with voters who live in states where he has not campaigned.
One of McCain's first decisions has been to assemble a novel and risky campaign structure that will rely on 10 "regional managers" who will make daily decisions in the states under their direction, his advisers said. The managers gathered yesterday in New Mexico to plot strategy with state officials of the "Grand Old Party" (GOP).
Some Republican strategists have said that McCain has not made the best use of the extra time that the prolonged Democratic nomination battle has given him. They have criticised the pace and direction of his decisions, and have questioned why the senator from Arizona has not held more fundraisers to close the huge financial gap between him and his rivals.
Struggle to be heard
Despite scheduling numerous events designed to grab attention, including a trip to meet with leaders in Iraq, Israel and Europe, McCain has struggled to be heard during the battle between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. The few times he has broken through have largely been because of questionable decisions or mistakes, such as when he confused Sunni and Shiite extremists and when he was criticised for accepting the endorsement of a controversial televangelist.
On Monday, McCain embarked on his latest effort to capture the spotlight: his "Service to America" tour. The week-long journey will put McCain in locations that have been influential in shaping his life - including his family's ancestral home in Meridian, Mississippi, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida, where McCain first arrived after more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
The growing McCain team is also under no illusions about the financial and political energy of the opposition, noting the huge turnouts in Democratic primaries and the enormous sums of money Obama and Clinton have raised.
One element that will work in McCain's favour in coming weeks is the formation of the Republican Party's Victory Committee, which can put together events that are held jointly by McCain and the Republican National Committee (RNC). Polls also suggest his position on the sidelines of Democrats' infighting has elevated his stature, at least for now. In some surveys, he has a slight edge over Obama and Clinton. And conservative Republicans appear to be growing more comfortable with the sometimes-maverick senator as their nominee.
Campaign: Clinton's new spin
Hillary Clinton accused Barack Obama and his allies of trying to stop people from voting as some of his backers called on her to drop out of the presidential race.
The Obama campaign rejected the charge, dismissing Clinton's criticism as "completely laughable". In a series of television interviews in states holding upcoming contests, Clinton vowed to press on with her campaign and suggested Obama and his supporters wanted to keep those states from playing a role in selecting the party's presidential nominee.
"My take on it is a lot of Senator Obama's supporters want to end this race because they don't want people to keep voting," she told CBS affiliate KTVQ in Billings, Montana.
- AP
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