McCain-Romney Battle Heats Up

Dec. 29, 2007 — -- "It's not personal," Michael Corleone says in the movie "The Godfather" about the planned hit of a rival. "It's business."

The sharp exchanges that erupted this past week between the campaigns of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are showing indications that for these two rival camps it may be both.

It was probably inevitable that the rhetoric between two candidates in a hotly-contested race for their party's presidential nomination would become harsh as the New Hampshire primary approached. But there also seems to be an undertone of mutual dislike in the two sides' increasingly strident attacks and counterattacks.

Things became especially heated this past week when the Romney campaign ran an television ad in New Hampshire that blasted McCain over immigration.

The ad opens with a soft soap line like those Romney often uses before attacking an opponent. "John McCain, an honorable man," the narrator intones over ominous background music. "But is he the right Republican for the future?" It goes on to say McCain "pushed to let every legal immigrant stay here permanently ... even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security. And Mitt Romney? ... He opposes amnesty for illegals."

Factcheck.org called the ad's description of McCain's positions on immigration "false and misleading."

McCain aides appeared genuinely outraged. They accused Romney of distorting McCain's positions while innocently defending the ads as a mere "contrast" of positions.

The McCain campaign had just released its own New Hampshire television commercial that was decidedly low-key. It highlighted 20 McCain newspaper endorsements, including several New Hampshire dailies.

At first, the McCain response to the Romney ad was restrained. His campaign released only a written statement quoting McCain saying the Romney ad was evidence that his campaign was in a "tailspin."

But the wound festered. By Friday, McCain was hinting that a vigorous push-back was forthcoming.