Columbus, OH—
In a speech outlining what the country and world will look like during and after his presidency, Senator John McCain said he believes that the war in Iraq will be won and troops will be home by 2013:

“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won.”

This is the first time the presumptive Republican nominee has said that he hopes the war will end by the completion of his first term. He denied that he was setting a timetable for withdrawal.

“It is not a timetable. It is victory. It is victory, which I have always predicted. I didn’t know when we were going to win World War II, but I knew we were going win,” he told reporters aboard the Straight Talk Express. “Every conflict we have been in history I don’t know exactly when we were going to win, but we won and this one we are going to win and that will allow us then to bring our troops home with victory and honor.”

Days before the Florida primary on January 29, McCain accused Governor Mitt Romney of setting timetables for troop withdrawal. At the time, Romney believed it may have led to his loss in Florida.

In his speech, McCain went on to describe what Iraq will be like at the end of his term, “Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced,” McCain said, “The United States maintains a military presence there, but a much smaller one, and it does not play a direct combat role.”

McCain also sees a future with no major terrorist attacks in America and sets the lofty goal of the capture or death of Osama Bin Laden.

His forecast: He sees the country experiencing “robust economic growth; “world food crisis has ended”; the country would be “well on the way to independence from foreign sources of oil”; the “southern border is secure.” He said he looks forward to the day when Congress sends him bills containing no earmarks–at all.

(more…)

Sen. John McCain raised more than $6 million during his 2.5 day/6 fundraiser Florida swing at the beginning of this week, a source tells Fox.

During his time in the Sunshine State, McCain raised more than one-third of his entire March money total ($15 million) in less than three days.The establishment of the joint McCain-RNC victory fund at the beginning of April is allowing big donors to give upwards of $70,000, which is then distributed to a number of accounts.

Campaign officials say they are extremely pleased by the number of Romney, Huckabee and Giuliani donors and finance staffers coming aboard. The campaign expects both Romney and Giuliani to attend fundraisers next week in MI and NY respectively. Next Wednesday night’s Manhattan fundraiser is expected to bring in more than $2.5 million alone.

Campaign advisers acknowledge that McCain will never be able to achieve the online and small donor totals of either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton–meaning McCain will have to stick to event-based fundraising for big money–but is now bringing in at least $500,000 per fundraising event.

Former GOP presidential candidate and close McCain friend, Fred Thompson, is set to join the presumptive GOP nominee during his visit to North Carolina next week. Since losing the South Carolina primary on Jan. 18, Thompson has been absent from the limelight-even choosing to drop out of the race via written statement.

McCain is set to make a timely visit to the Tar Heel State, where primary voters go to the polls on Tuesday, and hopes to scoop up some media coverage. He is set to hit Charlotte on Monday and deliver a speech at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem the next day.

In recent weeks, McCain has campaigned with both Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. While there was a lot of VP buzz when the AZ Senator was joined by Romney and Huckabee, expect a lot less around Fred—the former TN Senator even told Fox News last week that a number 2 slot is “not in the cards.”

McCain is also set to attend a big $$ NYC fundraiser in New York City next Wednesday where yet another former rival–Rudy Giuliani–will be in attendance.

Denver, CO — Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney downplayed speculation about being a possible Vice Presidential pick Thursday during a media availability aboard Sen. McCain’s campaign plane.

“I really don’t think there’s much interest in that on the part of the electorate at this point. It’s way early,” Romney told reporters during a flight from Salt Lake City to Denver–where he is accompanying McCain to multiple fundraisers. “You know, there are probably 20 and maybe even more…people who I think could be excellent Vice-Presidential nominees from our party and that’s a process the Senator will probably carry out. I am not going to engage in the sort of speculation on that.”

The press availability came after a press conference in Salt Lake City where the two men were joined by another potential VP, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.

Asked what it feels like to be back out on the trail, Romney said, “it’s kind of fun again. It’s nice not to feel any pressure at all. I don’t have to worry about goofing up. I can just stand behind my nominee and do my very best to support his campaign.”

Exeter, NH — Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that former rival Mitt Romney has a “big role to play” in the future of the GOP and would be in contention for “a lot of different roles in a Republican administration.”

“I was very gratified by Governor Romney’s gracious endorsement, asking his delegates to support me, the way he received me after he dropped out of the race,” McCain said aboard his bus today in the Granite State–where McCain dealt Romney a major blow. “There is nothing but goodwill between myself and Governor Romney….(he) has a big role to play in our party. Millions of Republicans voted for him so obviously I think he would be in consideration for a lot of different roles in a Republican administration.”

McCain and Romney fought a bruising, heated battle during the early primaries but the presumptive GOP nominee said that is water under the bridge. “The lesson in politics is you go forward, not back…(once the primary is over) we share the same principles and values of conservative Republicans,” McCain said.

McCain added that he does not believe it is important to select a running mate he considers to be a close friend.

“I don’t think you have to be close friends as much as you have to share the principles, the values, the goals…but also the priorities,” McCain said. “I don’t think you have to have a personal relationship but you have to have a comfortable, professional relationship.”

The questions were prompted by Romney’s comments during a Fox News interview last night that he would be “honored” to be picked as McCain’s VP.

Erie, PA—

Mitt Romney gave his first post-exit interview to Sean Hannity today revealing new thoughts on the vice-presidency and a new hair-do. It’s hard to know what was more shocking. . .

After saying at least twice on the stump that he would not be John McCain’s number two he seems to have changed his mind saying he would accept the vice-presidency if it was offered to him:

“I think any Republican leader in this country would be honored to be asked to serve as the vice presidential nominee, myself included. Of course this is a nation, which needs strong leadership. And if the nominee of our party asked you to serve with him, anybody would be honored to receive that call,” Romney told Hannity.

The former Massachusetts governor mentioned that he’s sure McCain already has a long list of “terrific people” on his V.P list, but he would do anything to help him win:

“I will do whatever Senator McCain asks for me to do in his campaign to help out in any way that I can. I want to make sure that we have conservative leadership guiding our country,” Romney said, “Now is the time for us to come together and support his candidacy.”

He went after Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, specifically attacking their experience—perhaps positioning himself as McCain’s attack dog (no pun intended):

“I mean, listening to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama talk about experience in a national security crisis is like listening to two Chihuahuas argue about which is the biggest dog,” Romney said, “When it comes to national security, John McCain is the big dog, and they are the chihuahuas. And I think as we talk more and more about their battle with one another, focused on the fact that neither one has real experience in dealing with the issues of our time, that that will only aurgur for his benefit.”

Romney was also asked if he may run again and he was very vague saying, “Who know what the future holds” and he is “not going to close the door.”

And for everyone wondering what Romney has been doing since I stopped following him around—he’s been spending time with his grandchildren.

Former Mitt Romney supporter Hugh Hewitt at Townhall.com seems to be getting impatient with some of his colleagues on the right and their reluctance to get behind John McCain, calling on them to support the Arizona Senator, “now.” The issue Hewitt believes they can all agree on—the war on terror. Excerpt below:

I don’t think any serious conservative can compare Senator McCain to either Senator Clinton or Senator Barack and say the war would be in better hands with either of the Democrats. In fact, any supporter of victory has to shudder at the prospect of turning the American military over to either of those two as this conflict rages.

I am replaying my President’s Day show today, an extended interview with Richard Norton Smith where we march through all 43 of the presidents (some get a lot more time than others.) I hope you listen throughout with the choice ahead of the country fixed firmly in your mind. The conservatives who wanted someone else have to get over it, quickly. This isn’t 1992 or 1996 (and 1992 and 1996 weren’t really the time of peace they appeared to be.)

The U.S. isn’t guaranteed the ability to recover from four years of disasters in the war. The war’s got to be conducted by a president committed to victory, and that means supporting McCain. Now.

In an email titled, “Defeating the Democrats,” Romney for President Campaign Manager Beth Myers sent a goodbye note to supporters Friday informing them of Mitt Romney’s decision to endorse Sen. John McCain, and asking them to the same.

“It is time for our party to come together by standing behind Senator John McCain for President in order to keep our country prosperous and strong,” Myers wrote. “The Governor and his family thought long and hard about this decision and feel that it is best for the Republican Party to bring the country together and unit behind one candidate. We need to provide our party with the best opportunity to defeat the Democrats in November.”

Full email after jump… (more…)

Boston, MA – Sen. John McCain all but sewed up the GOP nomination Thursday after receiving the endorsement of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Noting that his former rival “helped me become a better candidate,” McCain said Romney will help him “draw the stark differences” between the two parties during the general election.

For his part, Romney said that despite an extremely contentious campaign and their differences on issues ranging from immigration to taxes to campaign finance reform, it is time for the party to come together.

“I recognize, it’s time for us to put aside our differences and focus on the places where we think we have common ground and select our nominee and go forward together on a unified basis,” Romney said. “Right now the Democrats are fighting. Let’s us come together and make progress while they are fighting.”

(more…)

***UPDATE***

The campaign just confirmed that Governor Romney’s endorsement of Senator McCain means he will be officially releasing his delegates and asking them to support McCain. When Romney stopped “actively campaigning” he still retained his delegates. After the endorsement they will be officially released.

Providence, RI — Fox News has learned that Governor Mitt Romney is endorsing Sen. John McCain this afternoon at Romney for President Headquarters in Boston, MA.

Romney will ask his delegates to support McCain, which would put him very close the 1,191 delegate threshold necessary to lock the nomination. Romney made his decision to endorse today in the interest of helping McCain gain the delegates he needed to secure the party nomination and unite the party for the general election against the Democrats in November.

Romney campaign manager Beth Myers notified McCain campaign manager Rick Davis in a telephone call today, and they immediately made arrangements for an announcement in Boston this afternoon since they were already campaigning in RI.

Romney and McCain will meet today before announcing the formal endorsement at a press conference.