(Host) Governor Jim Douglas says he believes Arizona senator John McCain is the front runner to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but Douglas says he’s not prepared to support any candidate at this time.
Speaking last night on VPR’s Switchboard program, Douglas said McCain has a lot of qualities that he admires:
(Douglas) “It’s no secret that one reason for the Republican loss of Congress this year is the number of scandals that the Party has experienced. I think John McCain is widely viewed as someone who is for clean and open government in elections and that will give him tremendous credibility as this process goes forward.”
(Host) But Douglas says he doesn’t support senator McCain’s plan to increase troop levels in Iraq.
(Douglas) “I’m not enthusiastic about that to say the least. I think we ought by finding a way to move in the other direction. I’ve said for some time we need an exit strategy. We need to help our brave men and women in the armed forces complete their mission and bring them home as quickly as we can. So I was surprised to hear that suggestion.”
(Host) Douglas says it’s reasonable to think that McCain could win Vermont’s electoral votes if he’s the GOP presidential candidate in 2008.