McCain: It's not over
Sunday, 26 Oct 2008 20:19
John McCain says he is not resigned to defeat in US presidential elections and insists he still "senses" victory
John McCain has insisted he is not resigned to defeat in the United States presidential elections despite significant poll leads for Barack Obama.
The Republican nominee told NBC's Meet the Press that his campaigning had prompted resurgence in the polls in the last week with just ten days until Americans vote for a new president.
The 72-year-old said he was not only gauging his chances on opinion polls but also his senses, which he said were telling him that commentators should brace themselves for 'very late night' on November 4th.
"Those polls have consistently shown me much farther behind then we actually are," Mr McCain said. "We're doing fine.
"We're very competitive here, and I'm very happy with where we are and I'm very proud of the campaign we're running," the Arizona senator continued.
On the same programme, Mr McCain responded to confirmation that he had voted with president George Bush 92 per cent of the time.
"On general political philosophy I am a Republican, I respect the president of the United States, of course, [but] we let spending get completely out of control and I've been talking about it for a long, long time," he said.
"The fact is I am not George Bush, the fact is I was not popular within my own party.
"I've stood up against my party, not just President Bush but others, and I've got the scars to prove it."
On divisive running-mate Sarah Palin, Mr McCain said he had never been forced to defend her, just to praise her.
"She needs no defence," he said. "She has more executive experience that Senator [Joe] Biden and Senator Obama put together."
Mr McCain went on to say that Alaskan governor Mrs Palin was a "dynamic person... exactly that Washington needs".
"I'm so proud of the way she ignites the crowds, [and] the way which she is conducting herself is in my view incredibly admirable.
"Do Sarah Palin and I disagree on a specific issue? Yes, because we're both mavericks. But we share the same goal of cleaning up Washington."
Mr McCain and Mr Obama are currently campaigning in the western United States in a number of key battleground states.
Speaking in New Mexico this weekend, Mr Obama, the 47-year-old junior senator from Illinois, scorned his rival for attempting to distance himself from the policies of the last eight years.
"John McCain's mad at George Bush, so opposed to George Bush's policies, that he voted with him 90 per cent of the time for the past eight years," the 47-year-old said.
"That's right, he decided to really stick it to George Bush ten per cent of the time."