NORTH BEND — Sen. John McCain continued his overtures to green voters Tuesday, paying a soggy visit to the Cascade Range foothills and further driving an environmental wedge between himself and the Bush administration.
Expanding his national campaign as the presumptive Republican nominee, McCain promoted his plans for dealing with global warming and promoting nuclear power and said his stance reflects “long-standing, significant, deep” differences with President Bush on the environment.
“I clearly see our environment, national security and our economy all coming together” as top issues for Americans, McCain said. “Perhaps that’s going to spark in our nation an incredible impetus for us all to sit down together … and address this problem.”
Nuclear energy is a key part of McCain’s environment and energy agenda, which he sharpened Monday with a speech in Oregon. He also wants to institute a cap-and-trade system for limiting carbon emissions, with specific targets for national emission cutbacks.
Asked whether Washington state residents would stand for more nuclear power development after dealing with some monumental problems, including the polluted Hanford site in Eastern Washington, McCain said he would speed cleanup efforts and push for technological advances in disposing of nuclear waste.
McCain said the U.S. should emulate Europe in advancing its methods of cleaning up the radioactive byproducts of nuclear power.
Some environmentalists criticize McCain’s reliance on nuclear power and prefer global warming plans that take stronger steps toward reducing carbon emissions, such as those supported by Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
On Tuesday, McCain responded by saying his experience with environmental issues, particularly global warming, dwarfs the records of the two Democratic presidential candidates. He also said his plan was more realistic.
On Tuesday, McCain took 87 percent of the vote in Nebraska’s GOP primary to Rep. Ron Paul’s 13 percent. In West Virginia’s primary, he won 76 percent, with Paul and Mike Huckabee taking most of the rest, at 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
McCain’s visit started with an environmental policy discussion involving Washingtonians, including West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers Inc. of Wenatchee, and Sally Jewell, chief executive of outdoor-clothing retailer REI. He later donned jeans and a Navy cap for a tour of the forests surrounding Seattle’s principal municipal water reservoir.
McCain also planned an evening reception in Bellevue to raise money for his national campaign. Tickets ranged from $1,000 for the main reception to $33,100 for the “victory dinner.”
McCain prevailed in Washington’s GOP caucuses and primary, but the state is likely a long shot for him to win in November. Democrats control the governor’s mansion, the Legislature and most of the congressional delegation; the last Republican to take Washington’s presidential vote was Ronald Reagan.
The state, particularly its urban core, also has active anti-war and environmental movements. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, increasingly seen as the inevitable Democratic nominee, won big in the state’s Democratic caucuses.
Still, local Republicans are hoping the Arizona senator’s appeal to independents and centrists could help candidates further down the ticket, including in the statehouse.
“It’s about time we had a real presidential contest here,” said Toby Nixon, a Republican running to regain his former state House seat.
Top names from Washington’s GOP were on hand at Tuesday’s small event in North Bend, including former Gov. Dan Evans, former Sen. Slade Gorton and state Attorney General Rob McKenna.
Conspicuously absent was Dino Rossi, the gubernatorial candidate who is running a rematch against incumbent Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire this fall. Rossi’s campaign said he was planning to be at the private McCain fundraiser.
State Democrats pounced on McCain’s visit. The party even rented a plane to tow a banner over Seattle and Bellevue with the slogan “John McCain = 100 More Years in Iraq,” a reference to McCain’s statements drawing a parallel between Iraq and the long-term postwar U.S. military presence in countries like South Korea.
McCain also caught flak from Democrats and union aerospace workers for the Air Force’s decision earlier this year to award a refueling tanker contract to European Aeronautic Defence &Space Co., the European parent company of Airbus, Boeing’s chief rival.
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