December 14, 1999
Web posted at: 10:12 a.m. EST (1512 GMT)

DES MOINES, Iowa (Des Moines Register) -- John McCain spent less than 12 hours in Iowa on Monday, but he's hoping his first campaign appearance will leave an impression that lingers far longer.

While the Arizona senator hasn't actively campaigned for Iowa's presidential precinct caucuses, he's acutely aware that his name will appear on the ballot Jan. 24 with the rest of the Republican field.

At the close of the debate Monday evening, McCain asked Iowans to keep him in mind, even though he has ignored the state's early role in the presidential nominating season.

During McCain's inaugural foray onto the Iowa political landscape, he deliberately kept a low public profile. He held no rallies, no news conferences nor town meetings with Iowans.

When McCain finally took the stage for the nationally televised debate, he sounded like he has throughout the two previous debates: relaxed and occasionally funny. With the exception of criticizing federal subsidies for ethanol, McCain rarely gave away the fact he was campaigning in unfamiliar territory.

"Welcome to Iowa," said NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, the debate's moderator, in an unsubtle jab.

"Nice to be back," McCain responded, speaking over the crowd's laughter.

McCain has decided to focus his resources on New Hampshire, where he leads the GOP race in some polls. He hasn't set foot in Iowa since April, when he convened a Congressional hearing in Des Moines about the high price of air fares.

Nevertheless, the Arizona senator has been moving up in recent Iowa political polls, creating a curious situation for a campaign that is working overtime to lower expectations in Iowa even as it raises expectations in New Hampshire.

Much of the intrigue surrounding McCain's Iowa strategy is focused on Brian Kennedy, the former GOP state chairman who joined McCain's national campaign in Washington this fall.

Kennedy, a veteran Republican organizer in Iowa who ran Lamar Alexander's failed presidential campaign, said he is not working behind the scenes to build support for McCain among Iowa Republicans.

The GOP presidential rivals say they believe McCain is trying to downplay his role in Iowa.

"They're trying to lower the expectations about where Senator McCain will finish in the Iowa caucuses," said Eric Woolson, a spokesman for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "Their national campaign will be able to claim a victory either way."

Political experts, however, say it will be hard for McCain to gather strength under the caucus system, in which voters convene in 2,100 precinct meetings across the state to signal their preferences.

"The Iowa caucuses are a matter of organizational strength," said Dennis Goldford, professor of political science at Drake University. "But if he were to come in the top three, he would have some bragging rights, considering he's not competing at all."

McCain has said he is largely bypassing the Iowa caucuses because with a limited amount of money he can't campaign in every state.

He may have agreed to participate in the third Republican debate of the season, Goldford said, simply because it was televised to a national cable audience.

"McCain's appearance is directed at audiences in New Hampshire and South Carolina," Goldford said. "Those states are crucial for him if he is going to slow down - or stop - the Bush juggernaut."

Tuesday, December 14, 1999

• Alexander endorses Bush
• Bradley attacks Gore's record on campaign finance
• Panel mulls recommendations to Congress on Internet sales tax
• Iowa notebook: Snow forecast of little concern after debate storm
• GOP candidates agree on problems, disagree on solutions in Iowa debate
• McCain proposes health care overhaul
• Des Moines Register: McCain downplays role in forum
• Poll: Gore erases Bradley's lead in New York
• Candidates struggle to define when the personal should become political
• White House 'scandal spokesman' to step down; won't be replaced
• Polls open as Brown seeks re-election in San Francisco
• Judge rules Tripp lacks immunity in case
• In speech, Bradley gives Gore ethics a one-two punch
• Major campaign donor accused of shredding documents to thwart probe
• Pentagon reminds candidates that 'don't ask, don't tell' is law - December
• Corporations help pay for improvements to Gore's residence

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