McCain denies move to quit GOP

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JUNE 3. The maverick Republican Senator from Arizona, Mr. John McCain, has said that he has neither the intention of running for the Presidency in 2004 nor having plans to quit the Grand Old Party.

The quick response to both these questions come against the backdrop of reports - especially a frontpage story on Saturday in The Washington Post - that there were signs of Mr. McCain bolting the GOP and throwing his hat into the Presidential ring of 2004 as a candidate of a Third Party.

``As I have said repeatedly, I have no intention of running for President, nor do I have any intention or cause to leave the Republican Party. I hope this will out an end to further speculation on the subject'', the Arizona politician said in a statement.

There were good reasons for speculation on the moves of Mr. McCain. Just this weekend, the GOP Senator had invited the next Democratic Senate Majority Leader, Mr. Tom Daschle, and Mr. Bruce Reed, a key advisor of the Clinton administration and their wives to his ranch in Arizona. Mr. McCain's people are making the point that this meeting was arranged months ago and that there will be no policy discussion.

The focus on Mr. McCain comes at a time when the Grand Old Party has lost its ``majority'' status in the Senate with the party leaders really worried about the health of Mr. Strom Thurmond, the 98-year-old veteran. Next Tuesday, the Democrats formally take charge of the Senate and with this all the Committees. And the expectation is that the White House will be facing an uphill battle in all policy matters, domestic and foreign.

It is not that the GOP merely lost its ``majority'' status in the Senate. The party and its leadership were really stunned at the manner this came about - the defection of Mr. James Jeffords, who left to become an Independent and announcing that he will caucus with the Democrats for organisational reasons. Some argue that the defection could actually be a blessing in disguise to the President, Mr. George W. Bush as he really did not need to cater to the whims and fancies of people like the Senator from Vermont. But the larger political implications are totally different.

The White House has never been too comfortable with the ways of Mr. McCain. From Camp David in Maryland, the President called the Arizona Senator and hoped that he ``will have a good meeting'' with Mr. Daschle; and according to an unnamed administration official, Mr. Bush apparently told Mr. McCain that more members of Congress should get to know each other on a bipartisan basis.

Mr. McCain was a major problem to Mr. Bush during the course of the last Presidential campaign and literally gave the former Texas Governor a run for his money. Since coming to the White House, Mr. Bush has not been quite at ease with Mr. McCain's insistence on having his way on such issues as campaign finance reform. Now the fear - and a real one at that - of Mr. McCain seeking to build a centrist group within the Grand Old Party, or something close to that of the New Democrats.

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