http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070130mccain.htmlWASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain announced Monday that fellow Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins would serve as co-chairwomen of his presidential exploratory committee in Maine.
The Mainers support their Arizona colleague despite disagreeing with him on the need to increase American troops in Iraq, calling him a dedicated public servant and the best candidate for president.
McCain has urged an increase in troop levels beyond the 21,500 President Bush proposes to send, while Snowe and Collins have supported resolutions that disagree with the strategy and oppose a troop increase.
Collins serves on the Armed Services Committee with McCain and joined him on a trip to Iraq last month. But she joined Sen. John Warner, R-Va., in a resolution that disagrees with the troop increase and "urges the president instead to consider all options."
Snowe serves on the Commerce Committee with McCain and joined him in drafting landmark campaign-finance legislation. But she joined a separate resolution led by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., that "it is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq."
The Mainers each said longstanding relationships with McCain overcame any single disagreement over troop levels.
"My support for Senator McCain is not based on our agreement on every issue, but rather on the totality of his experience, integrity, judgment and his leadership across a spectrum of issues," said Snowe, who entered Congress in 1982, the same year as McCain.
Collins said she became part of McCain's advisory "kitchen cabinet" a year ago because she considers him the best candidate to become president.
While not always agreeing with McCain, Collins said, "I respect his leadership and integrity. And no one works harder to root out wasteful federal spending than John McCain."
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