The McCain campaign tells The Brody File that even though he won't be able to attend in person, Sen. John McCain will send a taped DVD message to the National Right to Life Convention that starts Thursday in Washington, DC.
The Brody File is being told that it will be a message of about seven minutes in length and will not only outline McCain's pro-life views, but also present sharp contrasts between his positions and Sen. Barack Obama's positions. He'll also talk about the important role of selecting the right judges (no pun intended).
Bob Heckman, director of conservative outreach for the McCain campaign, gives The Brody File more details of what will go down at the convention:
"Senator McCain is sending his message to the National Right to Life Conference via a seven minute DVD presentation. The campaign will have a team of pro-life volunteers there, will have a booth for the duration of the conference, and is sponsoring a hospitality suite on Thursday evening, with several McCain surrogates as guests.
The guest of honor in the hospitality suite will be Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), a pro-life stalwart who was served with Senator McCain in the House. Congressman Smith is a genuine hero in the pro-life community and a beloved figure among right-to-life activists. Congressman Smith will be introducing the McCain DVD to the audience on Thursday night as well."
McCain will be vacationing with family during the July 4 holiday weekend and therefore will be unable to attend.
Some may say that McCain should ditch those vacation plans and make an appearance in person. But let's remember that President Bush also sent in remarks by video, so this move by McCain is not unusual.
A few weeks ago McCain met with the leadership of National Right to Life and by all accounts that meeting went well. Since then, the organization gave a strong statement of support for McCain.
Also, did you notice that Congressman Chris Smith is introducing McCain's DVD message? Smith is a HUGE figure in pro-life politics in Washington, DC and getting him to introduce McCain's message is significant. Why? Because having someone like Smith in McCain's corner bolsters McCain's standing within conservative, Evangelical circles.