Republican John
McCain tried to bolster his economic credentials as a new
poll showed he had erased Barack Obama's 10-point advantage
in a head-to-head presidential matchup, leaving him
essentially tied with both Democratic candidates.
In a further
boost to McCain, many supporters of Obama and rival Hillary
Rodham Clinton are so strongly divided that they say they
would rather vote for him if their candidate does not
get the Democratic nomination, according to the
Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Thursday.
The Republican
nominee-in-waiting sought Thursday to fend off criticism
that he has been indifferent to the U.S. housing crisis and
the weak economy by outlining a plan to help
homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages.
The veteran
senator said he would help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners
trade burdensome mortgages for manageable loans in a speech
in New York City's Brooklyn borough. Aides said the
plan could cost from $3 billion to $10 billion.
Between the two
Democrats, the poll numbers were unchanged from February,
with Obama at 46% and Clinton at 43%.
However, the
intense and extended Democratic primary race has turned off
some Democrats. About a quarter of Obama supporters say they
will vote for McCain if Clinton is the Democratic
nominee. About a third of Clinton supporters say they
would vote for McCain if it is Obama.
Obama holds a
lead in the race for delegates, and Clinton is hoping to
revive her campaign with a win in the last major primary on
April 22 in Pennsylvania, though it is doubtful she
will catch up. Neither candidate will be able to
clinch the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination
without the approval of superdelegates, elected officials
and party insiders who also vote at the party's August
convention.
McCain is
benefiting from a bounce in the polls since he essentially
clinched the Republican nomination a month ago. The former
Vietnam prisoner of war has slowly moved up in
matchups with each of the Democratic candidates,
particularly Obama.
An AP-Ipsos poll
taken in late February had Obama leading McCain
51%-41%. The current survey, conducted April
7-9, had them at 45% each.
Clinton led
McCain, 48%-43%, in February. The latest survey
showed the New York senator with 48% support to
McCain's 45%. Factoring in the poll's margin of error
of 3.1 percentage points, Clinton and McCain are
statistically tied.
Against McCain,
Obama lost ground among women -- from 57% in February to
47% in April. He also lost nine points or more among voters
under 35, high-income households, whites, Catholics,
independents, Southerners, people living in the
Northeast, and those with a high school education or
less.
Obama is facing
almost daily critiques from Clinton and McCain,
questioning whether the freshman lawmaker has the experience
to be a wartime leader.
The Democratic
presidential front-runner said in an interview released
Thursday that he supports repealing the ''don't ask, don't
tell'' military policy on gays, which was instituted
during the Clinton administration, and requires gay
soldiers to remain in the closet. But, he said he
would not require his appointees to lead the military to
share his view.
''I would never
make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff,''
Obama said in an interview with The Advocate.
''But I think
there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that
this is a counterproductive strategy,'' he said. ''We're
spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified
gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom
possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities
that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe.''
Obama campaigned
Thursday in Indiana, which holds its primary May 6,
while Clinton campaigned in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, McCain
was campaigning in New York, calling for federal aid
for well-meaning homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages.
Still missing from his plan were details on exactly
who would be eligible for help; McCain said he wants
to aid those who borrowed sensibly but now cannot
handle their mortgages.
''There is
nothing more important than keeping alive the American dream
to own your home,'' McCain said in a speech before joining
in a round-table discussion at a Brooklyn window
company.
President George
W. Bush's administration and both parties in Congress
also are proposing varying degrees of federal help for
burdened homeowners. McCain's plan falls in the
middle; he would help at least twice as many
homeowners as Bush and fewer than half as many as
congressional Democrats.
In proposing
specific aid, McCain struck a different tone than he did in
a speech last month. Then, McCain said he opposed aggressive
intervention by the government to solve the crisis and
that he preferred only limited intervention and
letting market forces play out.
Obama, who was
reiterating his call for a second $30 billion stimulus
package, said McCain's plan offers little in the way of
solutions. Clinton called McCain's latest plan a
halfhearted version of her own efforts.
The AP-Ipsos poll
questioned 1,005 adults nationally. Included were
interviews with 489 Democratic voters and people leaning
Democratic, with a margin of sampling error of plus or
minus 4.4 points; and 369 Republicans or
Republican-leaning voters, with a margin of sampling error
of plus or minus 5.1 points. (AP)
