Thread: 3/10/07 Burr is supporting McCain for President

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Saturday, March 10, 2007
Burr is supporting McCain for president
Endorsements help campaigns raise money


By Mary Shaffrey
JOURNAL WASHINGTON BUREAU








Sens. Richard Burr (left) and John McCain agree on most major issues.
(AP Photo)




WASHINGTONU.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., endorsed Sen. John McCain for president during a campaign fundraiser yesterday in Charlotte.
Burr called McCain "a proven leader and true American hero."
McCain, he said, "is my friend and I look forward to calling him 'Mr. President.'"
McCain, R-Ariz., caused a stir in political circles last year when during an appearance on MSNBC he included Burr's name among a short list of potential vice-presidential nominees.
In a phone interview after the fundraiser, Burr said that his endorsement is not related to speculation about him as a running mate.
"I won't be the vice president," he said.
Even though the first primary election is more than 10 months away, candidates on both sides of the aisle are competing for endorsements, which in turn helps lend credibility to their campaigns, and ultimately helps them raise more money.
On Thursday night, the entire North Carolina Democratic congressional delegation endorsed Democrat John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, for president. Burr is the first Republican from the state's delegation to make an endorsement.
The 2008 presidential campaign is considered by many to be the most wide-open in recent memory because there is no incumbent and no vice president going after a major party nomination. "This is the first time since 1952 that there has not been an obvious front-runner in either party," said Andrew Taylor, the chairman of the political-science department at N.C. State University in Durham.
Another factor in the early jockeying is that some states are moving their primaries earlier this election cycle. Traditionally, Iowa and New Hampshire have been alone in the nominating process, until Super Tuesday in March. But such states as South Carolina and Nevada, along with several others, have moved their primary dates earlier. So far North Carolina has not moved its primary from May.
"It's clearly a much more accelerated process this year, and it seems necessary because of the front-loading of primaries," said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. "Everything is going to be so fast and furious."
Burr said that the accelerated process played a role in his endorsing McCain so early.
McCain is considered a leading candidate for the Republican nomination. In 2000, he ran unsuccessfully against then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Since then, he has been working to help Republican candidates at all levels build a network of support. He announced last week on the Late Show with David Letterman that he is running for president again.
McCain and Burr have a good friendship. McCain traveled to North Carolina last fall to help Burr celebrate his 51st birthday. The two men see eye-to-eye on most issues, including support of President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. But on the issue of immigration reform, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. McCain supports a program that allows for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States, while Burr opposes such a plan.
"I haven't found in the United States Senate or in the House anyone that I agree with 100 percent of the time" Burr said.
• Mary Shaffrey can be reached at 202-662-7672 or at mshaffrey@wsjournal.com.

Senator Burr, if you have any smarts at all, you will distance yourself as far away from mclamebrain as you can.

Contact Senator Burr and let them know how you feel. We have had people call his office all week. We need your help. Call Today.



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