Alliance and Rivalry Link Bush, McCain

At times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been a strong backer of the president; at others, a harsh critic. As McCain pursues the presidency, reconciling those instincts will be one of his challenges. (By Charlie Neibergall -- Associated Press)

Within weeks of that hatchet-burying session, McCain began campaigning with Bush. The two went together to Fort Lewis, a huge military base in Washington state, and met privately with the families of slain soldiers. "It was a pretty emotional meeting, as they are apt to be," Weaver said. "I remember John putting his arm around the president. . . . I think there was some unspoken bond that developed in that moment."

By fall, McCain was a regular presence on Air Force One and even stayed at the president's Texas ranch. McCain bucked up Bush before his Arizona face-off with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). "He was like a debate coach," McKinnon said. "He was back in the green room going, 'You're going to be great, you're going to be great.' "

That did not mean McCain would stop being a thorn in Bush's side. The senator forged a bipartisan compromise on Bush's judicial selections that irked the White House, and led a rebellion against the president on detention and interrogation policies for terrorism suspects. He also regularly denounced the mistakes made in Iraq and then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's performance. But as he geared up for his second presidential campaign, McCain recruited Bush operatives and became the strongest advocate of sending more troops to Iraq.

Among the Bush advisers who have joined McCain's campaign are McKinnon, Terry Nelson, Tom Loeffler and Steve Schmidt. McKinnon said he was "given a green light" by the White House, although Bush remains neutral in the nomination contest. Making the switch, McKinnon said, was a bit of a culture shock. "Working for President Bush and the Bush world is like working for the Royal British Navy," he said. "Working for John McCain is like working for the pirates of the Caribbean."

As McCain tries to recapture the buccaneer spirit of 2000, he finds himself tied to Bush's sinking navy. Moveon.org, the liberal advocacy group, produced two ads linking them, one showing a series of Bush-McCain hugs and proclaiming that "John McCain has done more than just embrace George Bush's failed policy in Iraq. It's actually his idea to escalate the war there."

Polling suggests that the link works against McCain even among Republicans. Only 38 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents surveyed by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said they want their candidate to continue Bush's policies in Iraq, while 54 percent said they want a different approach.

McCain allies said his alternating praise and criticism of Bush stem from principle, not political calculation. But they acknowledge that they may determine his political fate. "John is certainly trying to do what he thinks is right, both when he supports the president and when he doesn't," said Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.). "This is not a straight line. This is a minefield, and you've got to deal with the mines where they are."

Staff writer Michael D. Shear contributed to this report from South Carolina.