WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George
W. Bush endorsed John McCain on Wednesday as the Republican presidential nominee
after he garnered more than 1,191 delegates required for a nominee the previous
day.
"He's a president -- and he's
going to be the president who will bring determination to defeat an enemy and a
heart big enough to love those who hurt," Bush said at a press conference in the
White House with McCain standing beside him.
U.S. President George W. Bush welcomes
Republican Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (L) and his wife Cindy to
the White House in Washington March 5, 2008. McCain scored victories in
Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island on Tuesday to complete his
improbable comeback from the political graveyard last summer to become his
party's standard-bearer. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
He described the 71-year-old Arizona Senator as
"somebody who can handle the tough decisions, and somebody who won't flinch in
the face of danger."
The president made the announcement one day after
McCain swept four more primaries and secured his candidacy by accumulating more
than 1,191 delegates that are needed to win the nomination.
McCain expressed his gratitude to Bush, "a man who I
have great admiration, respect and affection," and said he looked forward to
campaigning with the president at his side, especially in the states like Texas,
Bush's home state.
According to the White House, Bush has also sent his
congratulations through phone calls to defeated Republican candidates Mike
Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani.
Bush's endorsement was
considered vital to McCain's efforts to win the Republican party's hard-core
conservatives, who still hesitate to throw their support to the candidate for
his moderate stances on the issues like abortion and immigration.
Republican US presidential candidate
Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy wave at his Ohio and Texas primary
election night rally in Dallas, Texas Mar. 4, 2008. McCain won the
Republican nomination. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
Despite a declining approval rate, the two-term
president still enjoyed about 65 percent of support among Republicans.
McCain has earlier picked up the endorsements by
other members in the Bush's family, former President George H. W. Bush and
former Florida governor Jeb Bush.
However, McCain was expected by political analysts to
face a hard decision on Bush's role in his campaign. During the campaign, he has
been trying to appeal for the voters by keeping distance from Bush
administration's policies.
The president and the presumptive presidential
candidate has a history of contention.
In 2000, the two was caught in a bitter presidential
nomination race. McCain finally conceded after he was falsely charged with
fathering an illegitimate black child and being mentally deranged, but Bush
campaign denied being the source of the allegations.
As a senior Senator and Vietnam war veteran, McCain
has been a strong critic of the Bush administration's war strategy in Iraq and
torture scandals.
On McCain's past disagreements with Bush, White House
spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "Elections are about change and going forward, and
one of the most attractive things about Senator McCain to the Republican Party
is that he has been his own person."
However, McCain has been attacked by Democrats for
his new tie with Bush.
"A vote for John McCain is a vote for a third Bush
term," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda.
WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican
presidential nomination race was sealed Tuesday with John McCain's victory and
the Democratic contest was refreshed as Hillary Clinton regained her momentum.
Arizona Senator McCain swept all four Republican
primaries and caucuses in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont, making his
number of delegates exceed 1,191, enough to win the party's presidential
nomination. Full story
