By playing both ends against the middle McCain hopes to capture the moderate GOP and independent votes while pulling just enough from the right of the party to put him over the top. In order to pursue the latter McCain is releasing a new ad campaign aimed at socially conservative GOP primary voters which highlights his pro-life stance and opposition to pornography on the Internet. And McCain clearly doesn't need Naomi Wolf. According to polls he is the alpha male of this race. A Washington Post poll from December showed a stark gender gap between George W. Bush and McCain with the veteran leading by 14 percent among men and the Texas governor ahead by 17 percent among women.
Recent polls verify that the gap still exists.
Alone amidst the candidates Steve Forbes isn't pulling any punches, perhaps because he has the least to lose. Or maybe he just can't help himself. Friday he went negative by releasing an ad claiming that Bush raised taxes in Texas. Tuesday he released a new ad asserting his pro life credentials. On the same day the National Right to Life Political Action Committee released an ad claiming that McCain isn t pro life.