PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) — Republican White House hopeful John McCain enlisted the help of President George W. Bush to raise campaign funds, briefly appearing in public with the unpopular commander-in-chief for the first time in nearly three months.
McCain shook hands Tuesday with the president, whose ratings are at an all-time low, after the fundraiser in the senator's home state of Arizona.
Both men avoided taking any questions from the press, with Bush quickly boarding Air Force One for a flight to Colorado.
The meeting offered ammunition for Barack Obama, the Democratic front-runner heading into the last week of nomination clashes with his rival Hillary Clinton.
Obama accused McCain, his potential foe in the November election, of going "hat in hand" with a "failed" president.
Hoping to saddle him with Bush's rock-bottom approval ratings, Obama argued that a McCain presidency would mean four more years of "disastrous" policies.
Bush, still popular with grass-roots Republicans and a formidable fundraiser, was aiming to inject much needed cash into McCain's campaign war chest at the event, which had been originally scheduled at a convention center but was shifted to a private residence.
Obama, an Illinois senator, slammed McCain for holding the fundraiser behind closed doors.
"We all know why Senator McCain doesn't want to be seen, hat in hand with the president whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years," Obama said, before giving a speech in Nevada.
The White House confirmed Bush's appearance had been transferred to a private residence, in line with McCain campaign practice to keep such fundraisers closed to the press.
The disclosure was likely to fan claims by Democrats that McCain was unwilling to be seen with the unpopular president.
A CNN/Opinion Research poll this month showed that 71 percent of Americans disapprove of how Bush is doing his job, the first time any president had smashed the 70 percent barrier.
McCain had not appeared with Bush in public for nearly three months, since just after he captured the Republican party nomination.
Though a strong supporter of Bush's Iraq war policy, McCain has taken steps to distance himself from the president on issues like global warming, and his management of Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans.
Despite the risks of appearing side-by-side with Bush -- ironically the man who ended McCain's 2000 presidential quest -- there are solid reasons for McCain to seek the president's help.
The prestige of the presidency is a powerful draw for Republican donors, and McCain, who could face a formidable Obama fundraising machine, will be grateful for the added financial muscle.
McCain also needs help in connecting with core Republican conservatives, a constituency which helped sweep Bush to two White House terms.
Before meeting up with Bush, who was also due to raise cash for him on Wednesday, McCain took a shot at Obama during a speech on countering nuclear proliferation.
"Many believe all we need to do to end the nuclear programs of hostile governments is to have our president talk with leaders in Pyongyang and Tehran, as if we haven't tried talking to these governments repeatedly over the past two decades," McCain said.
Obama and McCain are fighting a furious battle over the wisdom of the Democrat's vow to speak to leaders of US foes, if he is elected president.
McCain's speech was interrupted at least three times by protestors shouting "end this war!" but McCain replied: "I will never surrender in Iraq."
Meanwhile, the marathon Democratic race between Obama and Clinton entered what could be its final week, which includes nominating contests in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.
Obama added the support of superdelegate Nancy Drummond, vice-chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party, leaving him just 51 delegates short of claiming the nomination, according to RealClearPolitics.com.
But he tripped on the campaign trail Monday, when he claimed that a great uncle helped liberate the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
The Obama camp on Tuesday admitted he made a mistake, and that the great uncle was in fact part of a unit that freed inmates at a subcamp of the concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany, and not Auschwitz.
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