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GOP 'war room' revs up as Giuliani goes on air
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
DENVER - Surrogates for John McCain fired away Wednesday from the outskirts of the Democratic convention, with Rudy Giuliani going live on the Fox News Channel to eclipse convention keynote speaker Mark Warner.
"If Democrats are telling us he's not ready to be president of the United States, we better listen," former presidential candidate Giuliani said of Barack Obama.
Giuliani, along with another vanquished McCain foe, Mitt Romney, flew to Denver and made a flurry of media rounds in the intensifying GOP effort to counter the Democratic convention narrative.
At the same time, three GOP members of Congress - a Cuban-American, a woman and a Jew - were among party people who joined Mitt Romney on the party's shoot-from-the-sidelines attack on Barack Obama on Tuesday. They argued that the Illinois senator is a celebrity rock star not ready for prime time in the Oval Office.
Speaking in both English and Spanish, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said the nation is thirsting for McCain, calling the Arizonan "somebody who puts country above party."
A throng of reporters drawn by Romney - a strong contender to be McCain's running mate - attended as the quartet dished a series of GOP talking points on taxes, trade and energy. Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Eric Cantor, R-Va., also appeared, though the media focus was squarely on Romney.
The swarm of news media so overcrowded the GOP facility that party operatives scrambled to find a new venue for Wednesday's session featuring former New York City Mayor Giuliani, Wednesday's featured McCain surrogate. Such surrogates - including Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Thursday, another potential running mate - are so high-profile as to guarantee plenty of media coverage, even though it's the Democrats' show.
But the lower-profile lawmakers did plenty of talk radio and media interviews with reporters from their home states.
Romney stayed relentlessly on message as he also addressed a gathering of print reporters, made several satellite interviews with local affiliates, followed by appearances with the major networks inside the convention permitter.
At the same time, a youthful squadron of GOP staff aides churned out a series of rapid response e-mails to reporters.
Republican National Committee Press Secretary Alex Conant fills reporters Blackberrys and e-mail inboxes overnight with stories that reinforce GOP convention themes.
Tuesday night's program, however - featuring a plea for party unity by Obama's rival Hillary Clinton - ran counter to one of the GOP's themes of the week: that the Democratic Party remains bitterly divided as the general election campaign kicks off.
Romney mixed praise for Michelle Obama and ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Ma., with stinging attacks on Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. He deflected questions about his prospects of being named McCain's running mate.
"He's a charming fellow. He's a celebrity worldwide," Romney told a Toledo, Ohio interviewer. "But he's not ready to lead the United States of America."
The five-minute interviews - sent out via a broadcast truck in the parking lot - are part of a GOP strategy to insert Republicans and McCain into the news media's convention narrative, including local stations that are typically thrilled to get such a high-profile politico for a their news broadcasts.
As he left, Romney shared a moment with former rival Giuliani. "Being a surrogate is a lot easier" than campaigning for president, Romney quipped with a laugh.
Romney then hopped into an SUV and was whisked to the convention site for a round of interviews on CNN, MSNBC and Fox, among others.
"I'm here to make a few points for the good side," Giuliani said as he prepared to give a radio interview.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_loyal_opposition
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
DENVER - Surrogates for John McCain fired away Wednesday from the outskirts of the Democratic convention, with Rudy Giuliani going live on the Fox News Channel to eclipse convention keynote speaker Mark Warner.
"If Democrats are telling us he's not ready to be president of the United States, we better listen," former presidential candidate Giuliani said of Barack Obama.
Giuliani, along with another vanquished McCain foe, Mitt Romney, flew to Denver and made a flurry of media rounds in the intensifying GOP effort to counter the Democratic convention narrative.
At the same time, three GOP members of Congress - a Cuban-American, a woman and a Jew - were among party people who joined Mitt Romney on the party's shoot-from-the-sidelines attack on Barack Obama on Tuesday. They argued that the Illinois senator is a celebrity rock star not ready for prime time in the Oval Office.
Speaking in both English and Spanish, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said the nation is thirsting for McCain, calling the Arizonan "somebody who puts country above party."
A throng of reporters drawn by Romney - a strong contender to be McCain's running mate - attended as the quartet dished a series of GOP talking points on taxes, trade and energy. Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Eric Cantor, R-Va., also appeared, though the media focus was squarely on Romney.
The swarm of news media so overcrowded the GOP facility that party operatives scrambled to find a new venue for Wednesday's session featuring former New York City Mayor Giuliani, Wednesday's featured McCain surrogate. Such surrogates - including Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Thursday, another potential running mate - are so high-profile as to guarantee plenty of media coverage, even though it's the Democrats' show.
But the lower-profile lawmakers did plenty of talk radio and media interviews with reporters from their home states.
Romney stayed relentlessly on message as he also addressed a gathering of print reporters, made several satellite interviews with local affiliates, followed by appearances with the major networks inside the convention permitter.
At the same time, a youthful squadron of GOP staff aides churned out a series of rapid response e-mails to reporters.
Republican National Committee Press Secretary Alex Conant fills reporters Blackberrys and e-mail inboxes overnight with stories that reinforce GOP convention themes.
Tuesday night's program, however - featuring a plea for party unity by Obama's rival Hillary Clinton - ran counter to one of the GOP's themes of the week: that the Democratic Party remains bitterly divided as the general election campaign kicks off.
Romney mixed praise for Michelle Obama and ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Ma., with stinging attacks on Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. He deflected questions about his prospects of being named McCain's running mate.
"He's a charming fellow. He's a celebrity worldwide," Romney told a Toledo, Ohio interviewer. "But he's not ready to lead the United States of America."
The five-minute interviews - sent out via a broadcast truck in the parking lot - are part of a GOP strategy to insert Republicans and McCain into the news media's convention narrative, including local stations that are typically thrilled to get such a high-profile politico for a their news broadcasts.
As he left, Romney shared a moment with former rival Giuliani. "Being a surrogate is a lot easier" than campaigning for president, Romney quipped with a laugh.
Romney then hopped into an SUV and was whisked to the convention site for a round of interviews on CNN, MSNBC and Fox, among others.
"I'm here to make a few points for the good side," Giuliani said as he prepared to give a radio interview.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_loyal_opposition