The Trail

Saturday, May 10, 2008

DID HE OR DIDN'T HE?

McCain Disputes Accounts, Says He Voted for Bush

Two Hollywood actors who dined with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in early 2001 at actress Candice Bergen's home confirmed reports that he told the assembled group he did not vote for George W. Bush in the 2000 election, but McCain denied the claim at a news conference.

In separate phone interviews, Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff -- both of whom starred in television's "The West Wing" -- said late Thursday night that the senator made the remarks after he spoke at length about his reservations about Bush becoming president. Liberal blogger Arianna Huffington first wrote about the incident Monday, asserting that neither McCain nor his wife Cindy backed Bush in his first presidential bid, and the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that an unidentified woman who was also at the dinner confirmed Huffington's account.

McCain's aides denied the allegations Tuesday, and yesterday McCain did so himself.

"I voted, campaigned for, worked as hard as I could for President Bush's election in 2000 and 2004," he told reporters in New Jersey. "It's nonsense."

McCain called the dispute "hardly worth our time," adding: "This happened eight years ago."

Whitford and Schiff both recalled how McCain had conveyed his opposition to Bush just days before the inauguration.

"He was going on and on about how horribly unqualified and untested Bush was, how the campaign had attacked his family," said Whitford, a registered Democrat. "Someone said, 'If he's so terrible, why did you support him?' "

According to Whitford, McCain replied that, as a member of the GOP, he always intended to back the party's nominee. Then, the actor said, someone asked McCain whether he had voted for Bush.

"He put his finger up to his lips, shook his head and mouthed, 'No way,' " Whitford said.

Schiff remembered the conversation the same way. "My memory was he said pretty clearly, no, he did not vote for him," he said. "I discussed it with others afterwards. It was clear to everyone he said no. Did he shout it from the rooftops? No."

Schiff, a registered independent, said he was discussing the exchange, which he had considered private, only because Huffington already had made it public.

-- Juliet Eilperin

PARTY LINES

Clinton Comment Angers ColorOfChange Co-Founder

There was yet another sign of racial disharmony in the Democratic Party yesterday, as the leader of the influential black online advocacy group ColorOfChange.org lashed out at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). James Rucker, a co-founder of ColorOfChange, said Clinton's claim that her support from white, blue-collar voters gave her a broader base of support than Obama was "race baiting."

"The politics of division now seems to be her core strategy" to overcome Obama's lead in the primaries, said Rucker, who once worked for the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org. "It's a strategy where everyone loses; we can do better, and we should be able to expect better from Senator Clinton."

ColorOfChange, which has 400,000 members and relies on black bloggers to spread its message, recently circulated a petition warning the Democratic Party that adopting rules that could allow Clinton to overcome Obama's popular- and pledged-delegate vote leads "could be the worst mistake the party has ever made."

-- Darryl Fears

GAINING SUPPORT

Obama Picks Up Superdelegates

Nine superdelegates announced their support for Obama on Friday, further solidifying his position as the front-runner to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Obama got the backing of Reps. Donald M. Payne (N.J.), who switched his support from Clinton, Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii) and several party officials.

Although Clinton enjoyed a substantial lead in superdelegate support earlier in the primary season, Obama has gained steadily as he has won a larger share of the popular vote and more primary contests. With the new endorsements, the Associated Press superdelegate count is Clinton 272.5 and Obama 271.

-- Debbi Wilgoren