A White House official said Monday that Bush was not personally upset with McCain over the interrogation impasse. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing White House deliberations, said others in the administration were offended by McCain's criticism last week of CIA Director Michael V. Hayden, who is pushing for the redefinition of the interrogation language.
And the White House has been encouraging conservative activists to defend Bush's position -- and, by extension, undercut McCain.
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a frequent McCain critic, said he and other conservative leaders had been briefed about the flap at the White House in the last week.
Norquist, in an interview Monday, accused McCain of "showboating" and foiling a White House political strategy of framing this year's midterm elections as a choice between Republicans who support tough treatment of terrorists and Democrats who are standing in the president's way.
The White House "would like to have a conversation between now and the election about punishing the people who did 9/11," said Norquist. "McCain is interrupting that conversation and confusing the message."
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host, charged Monday that McCain was part of a "cabal" in Washington that was "trying to thwart the policies of the Bush administration."
This weekend, McCain was criticized in an editorial of the Union Leader, an influential conservative newspaper in New Hampshire. The editorial was published Saturday, the day before McCain visited the state, which traditionally hosts the first presidential primary.
"Sen. McCain comes here because he wants to be our next president," the editorial said. "But the question is being asked, in the midst of the most difficult and challenging war we have ever faced, can the nation afford a President McCain?"
McCain, appearing on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, dismissed the criticism.
"I believe that this has nothing to do with politics," McCain said. "I tell you very frankly, no matter what the political impact is, this is a matter of conscience."
Despite the fire from the right, McCain remains in great demand as a campaigner for Republicans facing tough fights for reelection, said Carl Forti, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Campaign. On Monday, he headlined a fundraiser in the Connecticut district of Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, one of several GOP House members who depend on strong support from centrists.
"He's one of the more popular figures out there on the trail," Forti said. "This is just one controversy."
janet.hook@latimes.com
richard.simon@latimes.com
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\o7Times staff writers Peter Wallsten and Doyle McManus contributed to this report.
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