One of my proudest activities is my work on behalf of cancer research. My wife Marlene is President of Friends of Cancer Research, where I am a contributor, and she is on the board of, and I am a contributor to, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Leadership Council.

Finding a cure for cancer is a vitally important mission for this country. Supporting that mission should unite everyone – and should be off-limits from the political and partisan battlefield.

That’s why I was more than a bit concerned to see Elizabeth Edwards – herself a heroic cancer survivor and inspiration for us all – bring cancer into the presidential race.

Here’s what I read on Jake Tapper’s blog at ABC News:

Speaking to the Association of Health Care Journalists on Saturday, Elizabeth Edwards said that she and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have something in common in addition to being cancer survivors: “Neither one of us would be covered by his health policy.”

Edwards — the wife of former presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards, D-NC — said that insurance companies, under McCain’s proposal, “wouldn’t have to cover preexisting conditions like melanoma and breast cancer.”

Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, senior policy advisor to McCain, told the Los Angeles Times that, in the words of the Times, “Edwards’ comments were disappointing and that they revealed she did not understand the comprehensive nature of the senator’s proposal.”

Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said McCain’s policy would harness “the power of competition to produce greater coverage for Americans.”

I give Mrs. Edwards all the benefit of the doubt in the world on this one, that she really has our best interests at heart by introducing John McCain – who is Honorary Co-chairman, Advisory Board of Directors of the Arizona Cancer Research Foundation — into the political conversation.

I just hope that it doesn’t become a common occurrence on the campaign trail. The cancer conversation is best left to the experts, researchers, and doctors.

John McCain gave a masterful speech on the economy this week.

Masterful because McCain’s plan would, in his words:

“ ….strengthen the foundations of the millions of businesses small and large that provide jobs for American workers. There is no government program or policy that is a substitute for a good job. These steps would also strengthen the U.S. dollar and help to control the rising cost of living that hurts our families.”

Naturally, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton immediately attacked him.

Obama:

“John McCain has said that he doesn’t understand the economy as well as he should, and yesterday he proved it in the speech he gave about the housing crisis.”

Hillary Clinton:

“It sounds remarkably like Herbert Hoover, and I don’t think that’s a good economic policy.”

Ad hominem attacks aren’t the way to get the economy moving in the right direction again.

Bold action will — the kind of steps Sen. McCain would take, such as:

• keeping taxes low on our families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses
• making the tax code simpler and fair by eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax
• improving the ability of our companies to compete by reducing our corporate tax rate
• providing investment incentives and controlling rising health care costs

As someone with a lot of practical business experience, I see first-hand everyday how much these sound policies are needed.

It’s fine to debate policy. I enjoy a good discussion, most especially with my political adversaries, about the direction our country should be headed in. I’m confident that our side will win each debate, on the merits. But let’s leave it at that – a debate over tactics and strategy, not personality.

Sen. McCain is right in saying, “I will not play election year politics with the housing crisis. I will evaluate everything in terms of whether it might be harmful or helpful to our effort to deal with the crisis we face now.”

I hope the other candidates follow his example.

Meantime, you can see part of McCain’s speech in this Associated Press YouTube video.

As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to fumble over each other headed to the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, a couple of recent polls have me excited about the general election.

Here’s one in particular that caught my attention, the new Gallup poll:

• John McCain’s 67% favorable rating is the highest of any of the three major candidates running for president, and ties for his highest in Gallup polling history
• Barack Obama’s favorable rating is now at 62%
• Hillary Clinton’s favorable rating, 53%, is significantly lower than those of the other two candidates

And Larry Kudlow noted on his National Review Online blog:

“Has anyone noticed that John McCain is surging in the polls? According to the latest print from Rasmussen and Zogby, McCain now holds a 6 to 8 point lead against Hill-Bama.”

Of course, everyone knows that polls this early are, for the most part, worth the paper – or the Internet – they’re printed on. Still, I’m thrilled that John McCain has secured the Republican nomination for President. Winning the presidency certainly is no easy task – either Clinton or Obama will be formidable foes. But I firmly believe that our party has chosen the best candidate to keep the White House in November. I’m honored to be part of Team McCain – but more important, I think America can achieve greatness with John McCain as president.

By the way, a photo in The New York Times captured John and Cindy McCain in Dallas March 4 reacting to the TV announcement that he was the nominee. It’s a great picture — and I’m not just saying that because, well, that’s me in there, too!

As readers of this blog know, I’m a huge Washington Nationals fan – even though I didn’t get the winning bid to own the team. What non-Washingtonians may not be too familiar with is the great Nationals tradition of the Presidents Race.

In the middle of the fourth inning of every home game, the four presidents featured on Mount Rushmore — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt – race around the stadium. They’re puppets – huge puppets.

Alas, Teddy Roosevelt – one of my favorite presidents (I get that from John McCain, I guess) – never wins.

So unfair.

A grassroots movement has sprung up, with thousands of fans chanting “Let Teddy Win!” I’m with them. I say to the Powers That Be: Even out the playing field! Give Teddy a chance! Don’t rig the race – just be fair.

If you’re a Teddy Roosevelt supporter, I encourage you to check out this great new blog I discovered: http://blog.letteddywin.com/ . You can follow all the latest Presidents Race (and Nationals) news and even show your support for Teddy. And hopefully I’ll see you at the new ballpark.

Let’s go ‘Nats1 Let’s go Teddy!

John McCain’s victory in Virginia yesterday – along with victories in Maryland and D.C. – sets him up nicely to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. I’ve been blogging and writing op-eds forecasting the McCain momentum for some time, and not only am I glad to see it happen, I’m thrilled to be part of the winning team.

I also enjoyed reading this item in yesterday’s “Yeas & Nays” gossip column in the DC Examiner newspaper:

Fred Malek is McCain’s new moneyman

John McCain is back in town for today’s Potomac primary (he’s still a senator, too, we’re pretty sure), so he’s taking the opportunity to raise some coin while he’s chasing votes.

Fred Malek, the former Nixon aide, founder of Thayer Capital Partners and ex-suitor of the Washington Nationals, is hosting a fundraiser for McCain at his McLean home tonight.

Among his co-hosts are former VP candidate Jack Kemp, Bill and Bobbie Kilberg, Kathy Kemper, Jim Valentine and Carter Pate.

The price of admission is the maximum individual donation of $2,300.

According to FEC records, Malek has already kicked in his $2,300 to McCain, though it’s a small drop in the bucket of the hundreds of thousands he’s given to Republicans over the years. He also gave $2,150 to the senator’s erstwhile opponent, Mitt Romney.

Nice item, it was a great event, and I appreciate the attention they gave to my work on behalf of Sen. McCain. Just for the record, though, I haven’t contributed to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

On Sunday I ventured into the world of podcasting. I was interviewed by one of Virginia’s top bloggers, J.R. Hoeft of Bearing Drift. Previewing Tuesday’s primary for Virginia Politics On Demand, we discussed John McCain’s conservative background plus how the general election battle against Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will shape up.

Click here to listen to the interview:

Bearing Drift

With all my various involvements in life, I must say that my achievement in helping to bring baseball to Washington is among my proudest.  So I was quite pleased to see the Washington Post describe me this way in its story on DC-area fundraisers for presidential candidates:

 “[W]ould-be D.C. Nationals owner Fred Malek is backing McCain.”

Yes, I wish I were among the Nationals owners.  But the team they do have on top is doing a superb job.  Almost as good a job as John McCain is doing.

I just got back from campaigning for John McCain in New Hampshire. Here’s a fun account of McCain’s victory in today’s Washington Post:

John McCain’s bus just pulled into a polling place on Broad Street, and McCain dived into the media scrum and disappeared from sight. It is possible that he was devoured by camera people; later I’ll look for the bones.

Off to the side stood a white-haired gentleman holding a “McCain” placard. But this was no ordinary volunteer — it was Fred Malek, the big-cheese Republican (and would-be Washington Nationals owner). He said he’s co-chairman of McCain’s campaign. “Chairman” is often a somewhat honorary title in a presidential operation.

“I finally found my proper role in the campaign — sign carrier,” Malek said. His wife, Marlene, was on sign duty, as well. “I’d do anything for John McCain,” she said.

Mr. Malek predicted a McCain win today and huge momentum.

“He doesn’t have to win Michigan” — Mitt Romney has a native-state advantage there — “but I think he will. You can’t underestimate the momentum that’s going to be generated by a victory here.”

Does McCain have enough money to compete in the large states?

“It’s picking up. Nothing like a little success to open the money faucets.”

As Director of the 1988 Republican Convention, my main challenge was to develop a four night program that would bring Vice President George H.W. Bush back from a 17-point deficit to Michael Dukakis in the Presidential polls. President Reagan agreed to highlight the first night with a speech focused on the foreign policy successes of the Reagan-Bush Presidency. After all, we had just won the Cold War. However, I also had to select someone to precede President Reagan with a prime time address – someone who shared his unspeakable principles and who had credibility on foreign policy. I selected the junior senator from Arizona, John McCain. He delivered an outstanding address and started the Bush-path to ultimate victory. I believed then as I do now that McCain, more than any other political leader of either party, not only shared the Reagan principles but also mirrored his strong character and conviction as well as the political courage to consistently choose the right course of action for America, no matter the political price.

John McCain is the heir to the Reagan legacy, and just as Reagan came back from an Iowa loss to become the nominee and President, so will John McCain. He will win the New Hampshire primary tomorrow because the voters of the Granite State know that this man of principle, courage, consistency, character, and national security excellence stands above all other candidates and will be a superb President. They also know he is the most likely to beat any of the possible Democrat nominees. These same characteristics will motivate voters in Michigan, South Carolina, and the February 5 states. John McCain will be the nominee, he will be President.

John McCain should be and will be the 2008 Republican candidate for President of the United States. If nominated, as expected, he will be our next president.

Let’s first visit why this man of honor and conviction should be the nominee.  As I wrote in an opinion piece on November 30 (The Washington Times, November 30), the four core reasons are principle, consistency, character, and national security.  Apparently, a lot of better minds than mine agree with this assessment.

As for principles, I argued that Senator McCain will always be guided by his core beliefs and not by polls. Listen to what the Manchester Union Leader said in his December 2^nd endorsement: “McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water.” Or as the Portsmouth Herald stated in its endorsement: “McCain will tell you the truth, even if it costs him the election.”

Principles of course lend to Senator McCain’s consistency. As the Des Moines Register states in its December 16 endorsement: “time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the force of opposition from other elected leaders and the public.” Or listen to Senator Lieberman in his December 17^th endorsement statement: “You may not agree with John McCain on every issue, but you can always count on him to be honest with you about where he stands, you can always count on him to stand for what he believes is right for our country – regardless of pressure from politicians or vested interests.”

And principles and consistency of course are a result of character that gives Senator McCain the courage to make the right choice no matter the political price. The Boston Globe in its December 15^th endorsement stated it well: “McCain’s views differ from those of this editorial page in a variety of ways. Yet McCain’s honesty has served him well.” Even more powerful was Senator Lieberman’s statement: “John McCain has proven that we can trust him to do what is right for our country, not only when it is easy, but when it is hard; to do what is necessary, not only when it is popular, but when it is not; and to tell us the truth, not only when it is easy to hear, but when it is not.”

Beyond these personal characteristics that have resulted in these four key editorial endorsements, and the endorsement of a great bi-partisan Senate leader, there is Senator McCain’s life long leadership and skill in defending our nation, in preserving national security. But don’t listen to me – look at the ringing endorsements of four Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Alexandra Haig and Lawrence Eagleburger.

I would now add a fifth core reason John McCain should be the Republican nominee – electability. The most recent polling (CNN/Opinion Research of December 11^th) shows McCain beating Hillary Clinton in a head to head while Mrs. Clinton bests the other leading GOP contenders by 5 to 11 points. Respected columnist David Broder saw this even before the poll when he observed in his December 2^nd column: “If the Republican Party wanted to hold on to the White House in 2009, it will grit its teeth and nominate a ticket of John McCain for President and Mike Huckabee for Vice President.”

Well if he’s the man of proven principles, consistency, character, and national security excellence, and if he’s the Republican candidate who can win in November, - why will he get the GOP nomination? It can be summed up in these events that will play out in January:

Governor Romney will be embarrassed on January 3^rd in Iowa by Mike Huckabee winning or coming in a close second. Senator McCain, as everyone expect, will do poorly in Iowa despite the welcome endorsement of the Des Moines Register. After all, he opposes ethanol subsidies, and only about 4 percent of Iowans will turn out for the caucuses. The story out of Iowa will be Governor Huckabee who in the face of a Romney juggernaut and badly outspent, with a barrage of negative ads, came back to score. David will slay or at least embarrass Goliath.

New Hampshire on January 8^th, which is a true primary with large turnout, will be the real test. Its outcome will be largely determinant in nominating our candidate, and John McCain will defy the expectations of all those who have written him off and will win or finish a close second. The senator has been consistently rising in the polls and is now in second place, not too far behind Romney. Senator McCain will close this gap with the help of Romney’s uninspiring showing in Iowa, by the 44 percent of New Hampshire voters who are independents, by the large number of registered Republicans who have indicated an absence of deep commitment to their favored candidate, and by the large group of voters who are currently undecided. He would be aided further by a Clinton victory in Iowa, encouraging independents to vote in the Republican primary vs. a competitive Democrat Primary. The endorsements from the Union Leader, Herald, and Globe will help, but the main boost to McCain will be the Granite States’ voters realizing they want a candidate whose principles, consistency, character, and fortitude match their own. As they search deep within themselves, they will realize, as did Joe Lieberman, that John McCain is the only candidate with these characteristics – and the only candidate who can unite and lead this country.

The South Carolina primary is eleven days later. In these eleven days, Senator McCain will be celebrated as the “comeback kid.” The reasons he came up from the back of the pack will be headlined, analyzed, and discussed endlessly. And the reasons will be clear to all that they are what leading columnists and editorial boards have finally perceived; principles, consistency, character, national security, and electability. These reasons will be embraced by a state where military tradition and character are prized, and Senator McCain will win the South Carolina Primary on January 19^th.

The force of momentum from these early primaries could turn this into a two man contest – McCain vs. Giuliani. If so, where do you suppose conservative voters will go? Even if it isn’t a two man race at this point, John McCain will be poised to roll to victory in Michigan, and Florida, and the February 5^th Super Tuesday races.

John McCain will be the Republic nominee for President. And he will be the next President of the United States. If so, the American people will be well served.