McCain wants to "wrap this thing up"

PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain prepared to enter the lion's den and face his conservative critics today, saying he hoped everyone could "just calm down a little bit."

The morning after racking up more victories than any of his Republican opponents in Super Tuesday's de-facto national presidential primary, the Arizona Republican said he would not attend an international security conference in Munich, Germany, or travel to London to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he had hoped to do this weekend.

"I think we've got to wrap this thing up as quickly as possible," McCain said, referring to the GOP nomination. He is expected to campaign in Virginia and Maryland, which hold primaries Tuesday.

Senior advisers said McCain would keep running as long as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee do, but that their efforts were likely to be futile.

Romney or Huckabee would have to win virtually all of the remaining 963 delegates in order to beat McCain, said Charles Black Jr., McCain's strategist. Because most of the next 23 contests award delegates on a proportional basis, rather than winner-take-all, that would make it even more difficult to achieve.

Campaign officials also have noted that about half of the upcoming contests are open primaries, which benefits McCain, a proven vote-getter among independents.

Romney aides did not respond to queries about whether their campaign could overtake McCain. The former governor huddled with his advisers in Boston on Wednesday to plan his next move. Spokesman Kevin Madden released a schedule showing Romney would appear, as scheduled, at today's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.

Huckabee also had no public events Wednesday.

Over the past several weeks, conservative talk-radio hosts and conservative commentators have tried mightily to derail McCain's candidacy. Rush Limbaugh has told his radio listeners that McCain would "destroy" the Republican Party. And Ann Coulter said she would campaign for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if McCain became the nominee.

Asked if he thought the high-profile attacks would turn off Republican voters and keep them from voting for him, McCain said he didn't know.

"I hope at some point we can just calm down a little bit and see if there are areas we can agree on for the good of the party and the good of the country," McCain said.

McCain also will address the CPAC gathering and said he plans to remind people that they share the same conservative principles.

"We should coalesce around those issues in which we are in agreement," McCain said, noting that he receives high marks from conservative groups that rank voting records of members of Congress.

But McCain has angered many conservatives for breaking ranks and working with Democrats to pass campaign-finance legislation and push for a comprehensive immigration overhaul that failed.

"It's the beginning of something that's very difficult for John McCain and that's diplomacy," said John Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College who focuses on conservatives. "He has never gotten good grades in the 'plays well with others' category on his report card, but it's something he needs to do now because conservatives are at the heart of the Republican Party."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of McCain's closest allies, said the senator would tell conservatives a little more about his positions.

"I think the argument he makes is, 'This is who I am, this is what I believe, I'm the most electable guy in November and if you really do care about conservative judges as I do, help me. If you want to have lower taxes, I'm with you. If you want to control spending, I'll take a back seat to no one,' " Graham said.

"When he talks about the war," Graham continued, "the biggest contrast in the November election will be withdrawing or staying. I think John can look every conservative in the eye and say, 'I've had an unwavering commitment socially. Fiscally, I've been the loudest voice against corruption and out-of-control spending.' "