Giuliani's Signature Issue Is Trumping McCain's

(CBS) Despite four years of efforts, is it possible that even President Bush's own Republican Party remains unsold on the argument that the war in Iraq is a part of the overall war on terror?

Since the very beginning, opponents of the Iraq war have argued that the two are unrelated — despite the president's insistence that Iraq is a central front in the battle against terrorism. Increasingly, however, it's apparent that the two aren't closely linked in the minds of voters. You don't need polls to demonstrate this growing reality; just look at recent events and behaviors on the presidential campaign trail.

When Sen. John McCain "officially" kicked off his presidential bid on Wednesday, he paid scant attention to his steadfast support for the war in Iraq. When he did briefly touch on it, McCain sounded more apologetic than hopeful, focusing on the acknowledgement of mistakes made and lessons learned.

Although McCain allowed that "a little progress" is being made as a result of the troop surge he supports, he focused most of his remarks on what has gone wrong. "America should never undertake a war unless we are prepared to do everything necessary to succeed, unless we have a realistic and comprehensive plan for success, and unless all relevant agencies of government are committed to that success," McCain said. "We did not meet this responsibility initially. And we must never repeat that mistake again."

A bitter rival of President Bush's during the 2000 presidential contest, McCain has become the 2008 candidate most closely associated with this administration as a result of his embrace of the war. While he has also at times been harshly critical of its conduct, McCain has yet to find a way to shake the Iraq association — which has at times caused him public embarrassment. The Arizona senator still finds himself answering questions about his shopping trip to a Baghdad market.

To top it off, McCain continues to find himself an underdog in the polls (at least nationally. as he performs at or very near the top in key early states). The latest CBS News poll on the race showed him far behind Rudy Giuliani, getting just 25 percent support from GOP primary voters to Giuliani’s 47 percent.

And what is Giuliani’s strength? Why, strength in the face of terrorism of course — a point proven in dramatic fashion over the past day. According to The Politico's Roger Simon, Giuliani launched a direct attack at Democrats over the war on terrorism in New Hampshire on Tuesday, saying that a GOP loss in 2008 would lengthen that fight. "The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us," the former New York City mayor said.

And Democrats responded immediately. Sen. Barack Obama accused Giuliani of turning the threat of terrorism into "the punch line of another political attack," adding, "America's mayor should know that when it comes to 9/11 and fighting terrorists, America is united." In a statement from her campaign, Hillary Clinton said, "there are people right now in the world, not just wishing us harm but actively planning and plotting to cause us harm. If the last six years of the Bush administration have taught us anything, it's that political rhetoric won't do anything to quell those threats."

From a standpoint of their support for either the war in Iraq or the war on terror, there is little separating these two Republicans other than the public association of McCain with Iraq and Giuliani with terrorism. Both have their problems, past and present, with the traditional Republican base — but for now, Giuliani appears to be the favorite of the party. That, combined with the rapid responses of the two leading Democratic candidates suggests very few voters are connecting Iraq with the war on terrorism these days. —Vaughn Ververs


Kucinich Setting Up For Spoiler Role: Being a third-tier presidential hopeful isn't bad work if you can get it. Not only do you get to participate in many of the same debates and forums as the big-name candidates, but you can also get away with saying more than they can, because you've got nothing to lose — and people will still pay attention.

Take Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, for example. His campaign's base and fundraising are insignificant, but people are listening to him today because of his move to introduce articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.

"This goes beyond partisan terms," Kucinich said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "This becomes a question of who we are as a people."

Kucinich's plan won’t go anywhere — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeatedly has said impeaching either Cheney or President Bush is off the table. But it could win him some applause from the most active elements of the liberal base. Even if his poll numbers don't rise, though, the move gives him a chance to claim he's done more to stop the administration than any other Democrat — and put his top-tier opponents on the spot about what they've done. —David Miller


Campaign '08, Survivor-Style: For everyone who's dreamed of being a presidential candidate but doesn't have the money, experience, or connections necessary to run for the White House, "Survivor" creator Mark Burnett and social-networking site MySpace have an idea that might be appealing: "Independent," a political reality show that will put contestants through the rigors of a campaign.

The winner won't get a seat in the Oval Office. But the real prize, $1 million, isn't so bad. The money can be spent on financing an actual presidential campaign or be given to a political action committee or other political cause, according to The Associated Press.

Contestants will participate in interactive town halls, where TV viewers — Burnett is still pitching the show to networks — and MySpace users will rate their performances. Given the millions that vote for "American Idol," it could result in a candidate who represents a broad swath of Americans. Then again, it could also give us the political equivalent of Sanjaya. —David Miller


More Star Power In South Carolina: The Palmetto State is bracing for the invasion of all eight announced Democratic candidates this week (and a McCain cameo as well), but there's room for one more superstar on the political scene: Robert Redford. According to the Columbia State newspaper, the actor is appearing in a television ad challenging the presidential field to make global warming a top issue in the campaign. The ad, sponsored by the South Carolina chapter of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, will air through the week in the state. — Vaughn Ververs


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