McCain Looks to Establish Differentials Between Himself and Bush, Obama

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to make a speech tonight, just outside of New Orleans, focusing on his plans for the future in comparison to the views of current President George W. Bush as well as Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

According to CNN, Steve Schmidt, a McCain advisor, made an appearance on the network's American Morning program on Tuesday. Schmidt spoke about Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama's frequent claims that McCain merely represents a third consecutive term for George W. Bush.

Schmidt said, "The reality is that Senator McCain has disagreed on issue after issue with President Bush over the last eight years. He is his own man. He has his own opinions." This statement appears to clearly illustrate the current strategy of the McCain campaign, particularly after last week's fundraiser where McCain and President Bush were not seen publicly together outside of a brief photo session in an airport.