WASHINGTON — Eight years ago, their bitter rivalry came to a head in South Carolina when George W. Bush put an end to John McCain's presidential bid. Now they are standing side by side, with McCain the nearly anointed Republican nominee and Bush the most prominent endorser.
Bush wrapped the Arizona senator in a brief political embrace Wednesday, just about when McCain would want it: eight months out from election day.
Given the public's low opinion of the president, Democratic and Republican political operatives said, the further away from the election that that endorsement took place the better. And with the race for the Democratic presidential nomination still neck and neck, what better time than when attention is focused on Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama?
Bush delivered unstinting praise for McCain just as eight years ago he undid the senator's emergent campaign with unstinting attacks that undercut him among South Carolina conservatives just as he was gaining momentum.
Standing on the edge of the White House Rose Garden in late-winter sunshine, Bush praised McCain's "incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance" in fighting back from political near-death last year.
"That's exactly what we need in a president: somebody that can handle the tough decisions, somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger," the president said, jumping ahead of himself to add: "He's a president, and he's going to be the president who will bring determination to defeat an enemy and a heart big enough to love those who hurt."
Bush never used any variation of the word "endorse," and it fell to McCain to twice thank Bush for "his endorsement."
McCain brought up the touchy subject of the 2000 race, saying that they would once again be on the campaign trail together, "only [in] slightly different roles this time."
On March 5, 2000, McCain suggested in a television interview that Bush was "not ready for prime time" and refused to pledge to support Bush should he win the Republican nomination. Four days later, McCain ended his campaign.
Bush and McCain spent about an hour at a private lunch in the dining room adjacent to the Oval Office, eating hot dogs. The two discussed overall campaign strategy after heading to the dining room -- without a pause to try out the president's desk chair.
"I didn't measure the drapes," McCain told reporters later.
