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Senator Urges GOP To Put Ideologies Aside

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By WILLIAM MARCH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 19, 2008

Updated: 07/19/2008 12:19 am

TAMPA - South Dakota Sen. John Thune told a crowd of Hillsborough County Republicans on Friday they should make certain John McCain wins the presidency, even if they don't agree with him on all issues, because of the Supreme Court appointments the next president will make.

"There's probably no greater threat to the basic traditions we know in this country of family faith and freedom than a runaway judiciary that can't accomplish what it wants through the legislative process," he said.

With six Supreme Court judges older than 70, he said, the next president may easily appoint a majority of the court.

"That's why it's so important that Florida do what it's done the last couple of times," and go Republican in the presidential race, he said.

Thune, who's famous among Republicans for unseating Democratic former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004, is widely considered one of the likely prospects to be McCain's running mate, even though he said in a Tribune interview recently that he doesn't consider that likely.

He's also one of the A-list campaign surrogates for McCain. His presence at the annual Lincoln Day fundraising dinner of the county Republican Party is an indication of the importance of Florida and the Tampa Bay area to the McCain campaign.

But he had a significant political task Friday night.

Widely known as a religious conservative, Thune was speaking before the Republican Party in a county that includes a mix of Republican ideologies, but a substantial contingent of religious conservatives. Many in that part of the Republican Party aren't happy with McCain.

Thune praised McCain effusively for his family's military tradition, noting it was Adm. John McCain - the candidate's grandfather - who issued the citation for Thune's grandfather's Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II.

But he acknowledged, "there may be people who aren't all that thrilled" by his candidacy, and told the crowd of more than 500 party donors and activists they should work enthusiastically for McCain anyway.

The crowd paid $100 each for the dinner; some paid $250 for a VIP.

"I hear a lot of people say, I disagree with John McCain on this or I don't like his position on this," Thune said.

"Believe me, I don't agree with him on everything.

"But I've got someone I agree with 80 or 90 percent of the time as opposed to somebody I agree with ... maybe 10 percent of the time," he said, referring to Barack Obama.

"Zero percent's probably closer," he joked.

Asked about a possible running mate spot in an interview earlier this week, Thune said, "I don't have any designs on that job, and I'm certainly not campaigning for it.

"My expectation is they'll make a decision sometime around the convention and that it will be somebody from outside Washington. I don't expect to get that call."

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, with executive experience, might be a good choice, Thune said.

But Thune is one of the candidates for the running mate spot who's thought likely to help reconcile McCain with conservatives in the party.

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com

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