Georgia Senate runoff becomes Republicans' last stand
If the Democrats take Saxby Chambliss' seat, their party could earn the 60 seats needed to avert a filibuster. John McCain calls for GOP voters to 'go back into battle one more time.'
Reporting from Atlanta — The familiar figure of John McCain took the stage Thursday to the roar of an adoring crowd, returning the favor with his greatest hits: the thrusting thumbs-up, the promise of military victory and limited spending, the trademark verbal tropes -- "my friends," "straight talk."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was there, ever the Robin to McCain's Batman.
Wait: Did anyone tell these guys that this election is . . . over?
The presidential question may be settled, but McCain, the vanquished Republican standard-bearer, has joined leaders of both parties in turning attention to Georgia, where incumbent GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss has been forced into a runoff with Democratic challenger Jim Martin -- once considered a longshot candidate -- who was lifted in the Nov. 4 general election by enthusiastic turnout for Barack Obama.
The race is of prime importance because a Democratic victory could help the party amass 60 seats in the Senate, enough to avert a filibuster. That possibility would be a delicious bonus for Democrats, who, come January, will also control the House of Representatives and the presidency as well as the Senate.
To ward off this nightmare scenario, Republicans are inundating Georgia with visits from a host of well-known political A-listers before the Dec. 2 runoff vote.
McCain hinted that his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, might fly down for a quick appearance. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and now a talk-show host, is on deck, with a trip planned for this weekend.
The star-power offensive kicked off Thursday with McCain's appearance at a Chambliss rally in a conservative Atlanta suburb in Cobb County.
Outside a room packed with hundreds of well-dressed Republicans, a man behind a folding table did a brisk business in $5 McCain-Palin T-shirts -- discounted, he said, from $20 during the general election.
McCain, smiling and looking relaxed, exhorted the boisterous crowd to vote and volunteer.
"I didn't think I'd be back out on the campaign trail quite this early, but I'll tell you, there is a lot at stake here," McCain said. "I'm asking you to go back into battle one more time."
McCain was preceded by Chambliss, a big, drawling North Carolina native who called the race a "firewall" against an unchecked liberal agenda.
