Steve Chabot's new best friend

John McCain is something of a rock star among Republican politicians and could well be the president of the United States, so it is little wonder that more than 300 Republicans dragged themselves down to a Hyatt Regency ballroom Tuesday morning to hear the Arizona senator at a Steve Chabot fundraiser.

Most paid $75 for a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit; a few dozen wrote $1,000 checks for an intimate reception with McCain and Chabot.

For many of those Republicans, McCain is not their first choice to follow George W. Bush into the Oval Office, but most concede and that he is far and away the early frontrunner for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

"I wouldn't vote for him in a Republcan primary,'' said former Ohio Senate President Richard Finan, "but he's strong.''

Strong enough to help Chabot, who is in a tough re-election campaign in a tough year for Republicans generally, put another $75,000 in his campaign account.

Not a bad morning's work.

McCain has always been looked on skeptically by the right wing of the party, many of whom consider him the Democrats' favorite Republican. But, with his recent criss-crossing of the country for conservatives like Chabot, he is trying to mend his fences with the conservatives who actually decide Republican primary elections.

As always, the Arizonan had a lot to say:

On immigration, and his now-stalled Senate legislation on immigration reform: "Anybody who thinks that all we have to do is enforce our borders is wrong.....what do we do with the 11 million illegal aliens who are already here? How would you send them back? And why would you want to? It would have an unimaginable impact on our economy.''

On lobbying reform: "we have a system that makes good people do bad things and bad people do even worse things. I say this as a loyal Republican - we are going to have problems in this election if we don't clean it up.''

On Iran, and reports that the Bush administration considered the use of tactical nuclear weapons to take out Iran's nuclear program: "there's really no scenario for Iran that would include the nuclear option. The president has to keep other military options on the table, but even that would be difficult for many reasons.''

On his own presidential candidacy in 2000, and maybe in 2008, and the somewhat woeful record of Arionza candidates. "Arizona has produced Barry Goldwater; we've had (the late Democratic congressman) Morris Udall, (former Democratic governor) Bruce Babbitt. Then there's me; and I've lost once already.''