The Wall Street Journal-20080129-Campaign -08- McCain- Romney Raise Attacks as Florida Looms

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Campaign '08: McCain, Romney Raise Attacks as Florida Looms

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At the break of dawn yesterday, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, outside a gas station in West Palm Beach, Fla., rattled off what he called negatives of three bills sponsored by his opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, on immigration policy, campaign-finance reform and fuel costs.

"All three are bills which evidence a lack of understanding of our economy," said Mr. Romney, a millionaire investor.

Four hours later, Mr. McCain, at a military shipbuilding contractor in Jacksonville, shot back that when he commanded a Navy squadron, "I did not manage, I led . . . . And I didn't manage for profit, I led for patriotism."

The race for the Sunshine State, which holds its primary today, has come down to the CEO vs. the veteran. Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who banked his campaign on a win here, is a distant third in the polls. Mike Huckabee is fourth. At stake are 57 delegates and -- arguably more valuable -- the momentum from a major contest going into next week's Super Tuesday, when 21 states hold Republican contests.

As a result, Messrs. McCain and Romney have stepped up their attacks. Mr. McCain, has adopted a "leader-vs.-manager" theme, choosing to go after Mr. Romney's character and judgment rather than specific policies. Mr. Romney has criticized Mr. McCain's Washington record.

"Sen. McCain's McCain-Lieberman [proposal] would be a very expensive bill for the people of Florida," Mr. Romney said yesterday, referring to Mr. McCain's legislation, which hasn't passed, on the environment with Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut. "By our calculation, a family of four would have to spend about an extra $1,000 a year."

The closer the polls, the more vicious the attacks have become. An average of surveys taken between last Tuesday and Sunday put Mr. McCain eight-tenths of a point ahead of Mr. Romney (29.3% versus 28.5%), according to RealClear Politics, a nonpartisan political-news Web site. A Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll gives Mr. McCain the biggest spread.

Each man has crafted his campaign stops around the issue on which he is strongest. Mr. McCain, seeking to focus on the war in Iraq, held his first event yesterday in Jacksonville. Fresh off victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, he toured Marine ships under construction and participated in a discussion about national security with several key supporters, including fellow former prisoner of war Orson Swindle.

Mr. Romney would like the conversation to be focused on the economy. Although he lost some of his swagger after defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire, he has regained his footing. He has touted his stimulus plan -- a $250 billion package that includes massive cuts on corporate taxes -- throughout Florida and spent the weekend appearing at Florida businesses, including Opinicus Corp., a flight-simulator manufacturer. There he got whoops and hollers from the crowd of a couple hundred after yelling a line about making capital expenditures tax deductible.

Even their stump partners reflect their differences. In Florida, Mr. McCain has appeared with Mr. Lieberman. Mr. Romney brought along Tom Stemberg, the founder of Staples Inc., to a stop in Panama City.

Both candidates have drawn supporters using their specialties. Doug Kaplan, a 29-year-old adman from Oviedo, Fla., likes Mr. McCain's support of the war and calls him "the only real independent." Steve Cooper, a Romney supporter and small-business owner from Lehigh Acres, said, "We need someone who will get in there and quit kicking our derrieres in taxes."

Yet while the two were pulling on either end of the issues tug of war, things got dirty. Saturday, Mr. McCain, who received the endorsement of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, accused Mr. Romney of having supported a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Mr. Romney heard about the comments during a news conference in Land O' Lakes, Fla. He stiffened and demanded an apology. His team started filling up reporters' email inboxes with evidence to the contrary.

Mr. McCain's goal was two-pronged: shift the discussion away from the economy and portray Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, as unfit for making military decisions. "The critical point is who's going to be commander in chief. There will be other international crises," Mr. McCain said Sunday onboard his campaign bus. He continued his personal attack throughout the weekend. On Monday, he belittled Mr. Romney's business experience while reinforcing his image as a war hero.

When Mr. Romney attacks, it's often more subtle. "I think it would be helpful to have a president of the United States who has had a job in the real economy," Mr. Romney said during a stump speech on Saturday. "That I consider a plus."