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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

10:28 PM: McCain vows to fight corruption

Supporters of John McCain spilled out of the senator's Iowa headquarters Wednesday night, waiting in the cold to hear the Republican presidential hopeful on the eve of caucus day.

"The eyes of the world, tomorrow, will be on the Iowa caucuses," McCain said.

Explaining that the number one reason he wants to be president is to restore Americans' trust in government, McCain promised to stay true to his campaign pledges and do away with corruption.

"I think we all know that the American people have lost their trust and confidence in their government," he said. "Our failures in Katrina, the war in Iraq, corruption in Washington spending – they've all led to all-time lows in approval ratings."

McCain said that Republicans lost the 2006 midterm elections not because of public displeasure with the handling of the Iraq conflict, but instead because of "the Republicans' failure to get spending under control." He said that if he wins his party's nomination, he would be a president that "would reach across the aisle" and work with Democrats.

The senator from Arizona called "radical Islamic extremism" a "transcendent challenge" that faces the entire world. He also noted that he is the only Republican presidential hopeful to say that the Rumsfeld strategy in Iraq was "doomed to fail" from the start, and he is the candidate that has the best understanding of the Middle East.

McCain said he is steadfast in his belief that the war in Iraq "can be won" but made it clear that he thinks all Americans want only the best for U.S. troops serving abroad, regardless of ideological differences.

"Americans are divided over this war, and of course they are frustrated, of course they are saddened," he said. "Americans are divided over this war, but none of us are divided on our support of the brave young Americans that are serving our country today in Iraq and Afghanistan."

-- By Matt Clark, IowaPolitics.com

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Chris Dorsey, bureau chief
Mike Schramm, news editor
Greg Bump, reporter
David Wise, reporter
Matt Clark, reporter
Eric Johnson, reporter
Andy Chung, reporter


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Mike Earles, Maquoketa Sentinel-Press
Wayne Dominowski, Sergeant Bluff Advocate
Stephani Finley, Creston News Advertiser
Alan Cross, Shenandoah Valley News Today
Rebecca Peter, Garner Leader & Signal


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