John McCain on David Cameron

30 September 2006

In this exclusive interview, the Republican presidential front-runner tells Matthew d’Ancona why he is speaking at the Conservative conference, and says that Cameron has the youth, exuberance and determination to be a Tory JFK

‘He understands that the war on terror is the transcendent issue of our time and that it’s going to be a long hard struggle,’ says McCain. ‘It’s not only on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq where British soldiers are sacrificing as we speak, but it’s also in the ideological struggle. That’s where the ultimate battle is, because you don’t win the war on the ground unless you win the war of moral superiority of your way of life, our standards, our ideals. Otherwise, you continue to breed soldiers and foot soldiers in the war on terror.’

Should the Blair government have been more robust in exercising its influence over the White House? Here, the Senator treads with care — but draws a remarkable conclusion. ‘I think the special relationship between our two countries will endure throughout the 21st century. I say that with total confidence because it’s lasted for 200 years. Having said that — I don’t like to be critical of anyone and I do admire Mr Blair’s support on this war and standing up to members of his own party — I also believe that David Cameron would preserve exactly that same relationship. Whether he would have a different style is really not something that I would be a very good judge of. But — from what I’ve seen of his exuberance — I wouldn’t be surprised if he were candid. Can I say it that way?’ Yes, that’s pretty clear.

Mr McCain’s Bournemouth appearance may add up to no more than a friendly encounter between two conservative politicians. Neither man is assured of ultimate electoral success. Some say that the 70-year-old Senator is too old, just as others say that the 39-year-old Cameron is too callow. In his recent book, Politics Lost, Joe Klein remarks upon ‘the stark political reality that [in 2000] McCain just wasn’t very popular among members of his own party’. It remains to be seen how far this has changed. Mr Cameron, meanwhile, must hope that the fragile coalition of modernisers and traditionalists which won him the leadership last year holds together until the election.

Even so, their cross-generational alliance is an intriguing preview of what transatlantic relations could conceivably be like three years hence. If the polls are right, it is quite possible that there will be a new bond across the Atlantic in 2009; that Cameron–McCain will take its place alongside Thatcher– Reagan and Blair–Clinton; that David will indeed be welcomed at Camp David.

The official line, of course, is that the Senator has not yet decided whether he will be a candidate. But as I get up to leave, he asks me about Bill Clinton’s appearance at the Labour conference in Manchester. Better to have the next president as your guest, I suggest, than the ex-president. McCain’s gruff chuckle as he dashes off is quite eloquent. Be in no doubt: this particular American hero will soon be going into battle once more.