Conservative Classifieds

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PHOENIX (AP) -- Republican John McCain, buoyed by Super Tuesday wins that pushed him closer to the nomination, told his conservative critics Wednesday to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree.

''I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on,'' McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar.

Reinforced by Tuesday's returns as the front-runner in the Republican race for president, the Arizona senator took a break from campaigning to return to Washington, where he planned to speak to a gathering of conservatives Thursday.

He was talking about well-known talk radio figures and commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, some of whom are talking about boycotting McCain's candidacy if he captures the nomination.

''I think they've made their case against me pretty eloquently, and I think the majority of Republicans across the board have stated their view,'' McCain said.

He said he has no plans to reach out personally to Limbaugh, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson or others but would let his message speak for him

''Our message will be that we all share common principles, common conservative principles, and we should coalesce around those issues in which we are in agreement and I hope respectfully disagree on a few specific issues there's disagreement on,'' McCain said.

Dobson released a statement Tuesday saying: ''I am convinced Senator McCain is not a conservative, and in fact has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are.'' Conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter has said she'd vote and campaign for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton if McCain is the GOP nominee. Limbaugh has said a McCain nomination would destroy the Republican party.

Some conservatives object to McCain's positions on immigration and campaign finance reform, among other issues. They consider his immigration proposals equivalent to amnesty and his efforts to limit money in politics a violation of free speech. On those issues, McCain joined with liberal Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Russell Feingold, respectively.

McCain defended his efforts to reach beyond the Republican party.

''One thing I'm convinced of, without a doubt, is that conservatives are glad when Joe Lieberman and I worked together in establishing the 9/11 Commission and then moved and got many of their recommendations into law,'' McCain said.

Sen. Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee who now is an independent from Connecticut, has been campaigning with McCain and appeared with him at the news conference.

McCain said he would return to campaigning Thursday, because ''I think we've got to try to wrap this thing up as quickly as possible.'' There are GOP contests Saturday in Louisiana and Kansas and Tuesday in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

He took a break from campaigning to return Wednesday to Congress, where the Senate was voting on a $200 billion economic aid package aimed at avoiding a recession.

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