| | Conservatives don't want McCain input on GOP platform
John McCain, never admired by the GOP's conservative base, may be blocked from putting his imprint on the party platform at this summer's Republican convention.
The Washington Post reports that conservative activists are gearing up to keep their party's nominee's views on global warming, stem cell research, immigration and other issues from being enshrined in the official Republican platform.
[M]any conservatives say they fear wholesale revisions could emerge as candidate McCain seeks to put his stamp on a document that currently reflects the policies and principles of President Bush.
"There is just no way that you can avoid anticipating what is going to come. Everyone is aware that McCain is different on these issues," said Jessica Echard, executive director of the conservative Eagle Forum. "We're all kind of waiting with anticipation because we just don't know how he's going to thread this needle."
McCain has spent the past year and a half trying to straddle the philosophical schism in the modern Republican Party. In primaries, he stressed his conservative credentials, but since clinching the nomination he has often reminded voters of his more moderate stances while professing his fealty to conservative positions.
A platform fight at the convention could disrupt that carefully choreographed effort by highlighting the stark differences in vision for the party separating McCain from some of the GOP's most dedicated activists.
The current 100-page Republican platform is a virtual shrine to President Bush, mentioning his name on all but nine pages, the Post reports. While President Bush's approval ratings remain mired in sub-30 percent territory, he remains revered among the right-wing base of the Republican party. McCain has the tricky proposition of keeping support from those Bush-lovers, who already don't like him much, without alienating regular voters hungry for change.
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