McCain at Philadelphia town hall rally

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00:00

BOWDEN: Senator John McCain is playing to halls and convention centres across the country, reminding voters what he stands for.

00:17

SENATOR McCAIN: [Addressing convention] The point is the American people didn’t get to know me yesterday, and the fact is they know I have always put my country first, and party second, and I will continue to do that.

00:28

Music

00:40

BOWDEN: At seventy-one years of age, John McCain is having his second tilt at the top job. Back in 2000, he lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush.

00:45

McCain off plane

So just who is this man who was once described as a maverick?

00:56

Bus – The Straight Talk Express

The Senator has a new version of his 2000 campaign bus - The Straight Talk Express - so named because of his tendency toward bluntness.

01:05

Montage – Bus and Plane, Press corps

Between now and November, the bus and the John McCain plane will be covering thousands of kilometres. We’ve joined the team as members of the travelling press corps, tagging along from state to state to observe the inner workings of the campaign machine up close and personal – or at least as close as we can get.

01:16

Hotel lobby

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01:40

BOWDEN: Our first event of the day is a conference on small business in Washington.

01:45

Conference in ballroom

Another ballroom, another unremarkable meal, the usual receptive crowd.

01:53

McCain at podium, addresses conference

At the end of last year, the Senator had no money and no momentum.

02:08

SENATOR McCAIN: [Addressing convention] You know I’ve never run a small, struggling enterprise, unless you count my Presidential campaign last year.

02:14

BOWDEN: One issue, which John McCain confronts wherever he goes, is the war in Iraq - a war he has supported from the start.

02:23

Protestor in crowd. Security take protester away

[Protestors start yelling out at convention]

02:31

BOWDEN: First one anti-war protestor…then another…

02:38

McCain at podium, addresses conference

Then another.

SENATOR McCAIN: This election offers Americans a very distinct choice…I’m… I’m running out of funny lines.

02:53

Anti-war protestors

BOWDEN: But most Americans see nothing funny about the war.

03:15

Bus on tour

As the Senator travels the country, he’s reiterating the need to stay the course in Iraq, but his stump speech now reveals a significant shift to the left on other key issues.

03:21

McCain addresses convention

SENATOR McCAIN: I will push for comprehensive immigration reform, absolutely.

03:32

Another speech

And I saw the manifestations of climate change and I know how serious this issue in New Hampshire and America and in this world.

03:36

Press corps on tarmac

BOWDEN: That might appeal to independent voters but he’s infuriating the right wing of his own party.

BAY BUCHANAN: He seems very little concerned for the conservatives. He thinks we have nowhere else to go, for the true right, for the true energy in the party.

03:46

Buchanan. Super: 
Bay Buchanan
President. The American Cause

He seems to say, you know, that’s it. You know the jobs are gone, get used to it. You know the immigration, its amnesty, and that’s where we’re going, my first priority. Global warming, definitely a high priority. These are things that are an anathema to us.

04:00

News report. Buchanan commentary

BOWDEN: Political commentator Bay Buchanan is the sister of former Republican Presidential candidate, Pat Buchanan, and heads the conservative group, The American Cause.

BAY BUCHANAN: If he shows us disdain

04:16

Buchanan

and shows us no interest and just dismisses us and our values and principles, he will not win on election day.

04:33

BOWDEN: And so what do you think people are thinking? Are they thinking they just won’t vote?

04:42

BAY BUCHANAN: I think there will be a low response of Republicans. I don’t think you will have the energy level and the excitement of the grassroots of our Party going out to vote as there will be very likely with the Democrats and so that will be a disadvantage for McCain.

04:45

McCain and Bush

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: It’s been my honour to welcome my friend, John McCain as the nominee of the Republican Party.

04:59

BOWDEN: John McCain is also battling the perception that his presidency would be four more years of George W. Bush, one of the most unpopular US leaders in history, when Americans are desperate for change.

05:06

Student convention

STUDENT: What would you say to those first time voters - because that’s probably going to be your biggest hurdle in this election - what would you say to those first time voters that you would have to offer them over Senator Obama for the future of this country?

05:20

SENATOR McCAIN: The most important qualification to be President of the United States is that person has to be very, very, very, very old…

05:32

Students cheer Obama

05:45

BOWDEN: John McCain’s competitor for the presidency, Democrat Barack Obama, certainly has youth and eloquence on his side.

SENATOR OBAMA: But here’s the thing.

05:50

Obama addresses convention

We have a war today in which we should have never waged it and our leaders don’t know how to end it.

06:01

BOWDEN: His critics argue he’s all style and no substance.

06:08

SENATOR OBAMA: And you need help to stop it. Young people have to get involved.

06:12

Man at convention to McCain

BOWDEN: John McCain has his life story.

06:18

MAN INTRODUCING McCAIN AT CONVENTION: I would like to first of all thank you for your service to this country and your continuous service in office.

06:20

BOWDEN: Including a powerful war story.

06:26

McCain childhood photo

Music

06:28

BOWDEN:  Born in Panama, John McCain was the son and grandson of Navy Admirals.

06:33

McCain teenage photo

By his teens he was showing a competitive nature and considerable spirit.

06:39

Photo. Young McCain in wrestling outfit

RIVES RICHEY: John was a wrestler and all us wrestlers were kind of…

BOWDEN: Feisty?

RIVES RICHEY: A little feisty, and I’m trying to look at, look for some other word other than kind of a tough guy, but…

06:50

Richey

BOWDEN: Well you probably were tough guys.

RIVES RICHEY: We probably were.

07:00

Episcopal High School

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07:03

BOWDEN: John McCain attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital. These days a year at the exclusive boarding school costs USD41,000.

07:06

McCain class photo

Rives Richey was John McCain’s partner on the wrestling team.

07:19

RIVES RICHEY: It was more kind of, I think, a daredevil type of situation and, you know,

07:24

Richey

at Episcopal we’re very regulated and also at the time we were fourteen trying to act like we were eighteen or nineteen, wanting to be men and so you know, learning to smoke…

07:29

McCain teenage photo

BOWDEN: Rives Richey plays down the stories of his friend being a mean and unpopular student with a string of nicknames to match.

Bowden: I’ve read about other nicknames like ‘Punk’.

07:44

RIVES RICHEY: Yeah.

BOWDEN: Or ‘Nasty’.

RIVES RICHEY: Yeah.

BOWDEN: Or ‘McNasty’.

RIVES RICHEY: McNasty, yeah. Well that would have been a natural. Everybody at Episcopal School, there’s really more of a sign of acceptable or popularity. If you didn’t have a nickname it’s because people don’t like you very much almost.

07:59

Photo. McCain. Navy Pilot

Music

08:20

BOWDEN: After graduating from the US Naval Academy, the young navy pilot volunteered for combat in Vietnam.

08:24

File footage. Bombing raid. Vietnam

08:29

Photo. McCain rescue

In 1967 he was shot down over Hanoi.

08:40

File footage. McCain after rescue

SENATOR McCAIN: [Archive footage] And I ejected and broke my leg and both arms and went into a lake.

08:44

AD CAMPAIGN: Shot down, bayoneted, tortured. Offered early release, he said no, he’d sworn an oath.

08:56

TV Ad. McCain

BOWDEN: The Republicans are emphasising the contrast between life experience and a man they say has none.

09:04

AD CAMPAIGN: Beautiful words cannot make their lives better but a man who has always put his country and her people before self, before politics, can.

09:10

BOWDEN: Being a war hero wins John McCain respect, but will that translate into votes.

09:19

AD CAMPAIGN: Don’t hope for a better life – vote for one. McCain.

SENATOR McCAIN: [End of advertisement] I’m John McCain and I approve this message.

09:24

Buchanan. Super: 
Bay Buchanan
President. The American Cause

BAY BUCHANAN: You know there is three things people vote on, the environment one - and right now the environment is an unpopular President, an unpopular war and an economy that’s a mess, and that’s all seen as the responsibility of Republicans because of the Republican President so the movement, the environment is to vote these people out.

09:34

Obama/McCain

On the issues, both of them are bad on immigration and you see them waffling on the other issues, but then you go to the third thing that people vote on and that is personality. They vote on people they like, that they can relate to,

09:55

Buchanan

and Obama is incredible

10:10

McCain meet and greet

and McCain has an uphill battle on that. He’s, you know, he’s John McCain. He’s not the most loveable person -- he doesn’t claim to be --

10:11

Buchanan

and so when it comes down to personality, Obama wins. So Obama’s got two out of the three.

10:18

Arizona rodeo

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10:22

BOWDEN: We leave the insular, controlled environment of the campaign trail to visit McCain country, his home state of Arizona.

10:29

Music

10:38

BOWDEN:  This rough and tumble world is where you’ll find the true American mavericks.

10:44

Tracking shots to mountain community

We travel from the scorchingly hot capital of Phoenix, to the mountains in the east, to find some of Senator McCain’s most staunch supporters.

10:51

Husted puts out McCain sign

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11:05

JACK HUSTED: I think that rural Arizona is really what Arizona’s about.

11:12

Husted

I’ve been blessed many times over to live in Arizona and fortunate to know John McCain.

11:15

Independence Day parade. Husted meets and greets

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11:22

BOWDEN: The American Independence Day parade is the perfect opportunity for local government candidate Jack Husted to press the flesh. His other mission is to help get John McCain into the White House.

11:26

Independence Day parade.

JACK HUSTED: As it gets a little closer, people will realise that these are really troubled times and to

11:41

Husted. Super:
Jack Husted
Republican

put someone that they know little about in the Oval Office is a scary proposition. The country knows John McCain and the country liked him -- has always liked him -- as the maverick. I mean he’s in the centre. His opponent is far, far left and I think as time comes closer to elections, you’ll see that he will win.

11:47

Rodeo

BOWDEN: These people might be committed Republicans, but that doesn’t mean John McCain will hold on to their votes. The damaged Republican brand, and the unpopular current, President are making for a rough ride.

12:18

Martha

MARTHA HYLAND: Frustrated, very frustrated. I have voted since I was old enough but this year, there’s just not one I want to vote for.

BOWDEN: What about the man from your state, Senator John McCain?

12:31

MARTHA HYLAND: I kind of feel like he’s a patsy. In my honest opinion I just feel… I just feel like he’s playing a role, that he’s just a part of Bush’s plan.

12:44

Karen and Jack Husted

BOWDEN: But Jack Husted and his wife Karen feel differently.

12:55

Karen. Super:
Karen Husted
Republican

KAREN HUSTED: Well, I know he’s not George Bush. He’s much more independent. He’s much more bipartisan. He is much more willing to listen and talk to all people and all viewpoints, and I think that’s important right now, especially coming out of these two Bush terms that have been so divisive for our country.

12:59

Norquist. Super:
Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform

GROVER NORQUIST: The one thing you know about John McCain is he’s not Bush – in temperament, in attitude, he doesn’t even like the guy. So it’s a little hard, you can’t… you could paint most Republicans ‘oh… third time Bush’ more easily than McCain. He’s the least…  the guy you’re least able to do that to.

13:23

Republican meeting

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13:42

BOWDEN: Back in Washington DC, the weekly invitation-only meeting of Republican movers and shakers is getting underway in the office of Grover Norquist.

13:47

Norquist in corridor

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13:57

BOWDEN: Founder of the group, Americans for Tax Reform.

14:05

Norquist chairs meeting

BOWDEN: Many of the people here don’t approve of their likely nominee. Not long ago their host was calling John McCain all kinds of names like the “nut job” from Arizona, but now he’s talking nice.

14:18

GROVER NORQUIST: Well I think he’d be a good President. He’s certainly laid out a

14:30

Norquist

good position on taxes - opposition to any tax increase and three important tax cuts.

14:33

BOWDEN: But let’s face it, you wouldn’t have said that some years ago would you?

14:39

GROVER NORQUIST: No, because back starting in 2000 he went AWOL on the tax issue. Then when he moved back to his original position of being for lower taxes, we were strongly supportive of that, and so moving forward, I’m very cheerful – again, not just on taxes.

14:42

McCain addresses convention

BOWDEN: Not only does John McCain need the votes of his party’s right wing, he also hopes to attract a far less conservative group - disenchanted Hillary Clinton fans.

15:02

SENATOR McCAIN: I know how to reach across the aisle. I will attract Independents… Democrats - by the way, those supporters of Senator Clinton, I welcome you here today…

15:13

D’Vir with autographed flag

ED D’VIR: That’s John McCain’s signature. I also have his picture. I got a good close up of him with me.

15:26

D’Vir shows photo on camera

BOWDEN: After seeing John McCain today, Ed d’Vir is changing sides.

15:33

ED D’VIR: My vote was rigid for Hillary but there’s a lot of Hillary supporters who are now shifting over to John McCain only because they don’t know what Barack Obama stands for and, you know,

15:38

McCain at convention

I feel that John McCain has been there for the country, he’s served in the war and he was a prisoner for many years, so he has been through a lot of tough times and it’s very tough being a President. If he can withstand that, he can withstand being the President.

15:48

Capitol Hill

BOWDEN: But not everyone has such confidence in John McCain’s character or leadership skills.

SENATOR DENIS DE CONCINI: It wasn’t really until I saw him operate as a Senator here that I

16:04

McCain in Senate

realised that I could not trust him to deal with the problems we had in our best interests.

16:15

De Concini

BOWDEN: You don’t trust him?

SENATOR DENIS DE CONCINI: I don’t trust him. No I don’t at all.

BOWDEN: Well that’s a pretty significant thing to say about a man isn’t it?

SENATOR DENIS DE CONCINI : It is, yes it is.

16:22

De Concini in office

BOWDEN: Former Democrat Senator from Arizona, Denis De Concini, is among a number of politicians, lobbyists and journalists who’ve spoken about the Senator’s volatile temper.

16:30

De Concini. Super:
Dennis De Concini
Former US Senator

DENIS DE CONCINI: When you disagree or challenge him, he’s pretty good for one time or two times. If you stay at it in disagreement with him, he has trouble keeping his cool and once he loses it, he cannot control it. I’ve seen it just too many times to feel comfortable with him as President.

16:42

McCain meets and greets

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17:04

BOWDEN: You’re partisan, you’re a Democrat, do you think you would feel differently about Senator McCain if you were a Republican? Is that why you feel this way?

17:06

DENIS DE CONCINI: If I was a Republican, having served with him I’d feel very strong too, and a number of Republicans feel very strong about him.

17:13

De Concini

He has left some indelible prints on people because of his temper and his mood swings.

17:21

Barbecue at Husted’s

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17:28

BOWDEN: Back in Arizona at Jack Husted’s holiday barbecue, the host has no such doubts. He’s convinced John McCain should win and will.

17:34

JACK HUSTED: He believes in Americans controlling their own destiny. Everything is not a government program. And unfortunately people get the government they deserve and I would say that if the country’s not smart enough

17:45

Husted

to elect a wise, proven leader as opposed to someone who has just been in the Senate for a couple of years and can talk real good, we have to be better than that as a country.

18:00

Barbecue at Husted’s

BOWDEN: But the challenges he faces are enormous, with the country still at war and the economy in turmoil, a candidate from a different party representing change is hugely appealing and even some members of John McCain’s own team seem to have stopped barracking.

BAY BUCHANAN: Many conservatives feel it would be best for our movement for Obama to win,

18:17

Buchanan

because he will rule from the left, we’ll clean out our old ranks - the establishment - we’ll bring in fresh new faces and we’ll be ready.

18:39

McCain at convention

But for the conservative movement we’re looking to the future, it’s not today.

BOWDEN: But it’s far from over. Given the complex and unpredictable nature of US presidential campaigns, anything could happen in the fifteen weeks between now and election day.

18:47

Music

Credits: 

Reporter: Tracy Bowden

Camera: Dan Sweetapple, Louie Eroglu ACS, Rich Joy

Editor: Woody Landay

Research: Jill Colgan and Janet E. Silver

19:17