GOP convention wraps up

A well-organized group of Sen. John McCain supporters got just about everything they wanted Saturday at the Washington State Republican Convention, except maybe a meeting that ended on time.

The 1,500-plus delegates elected the slates of national convention representatives and electors to the Electoral College that the McCain campaign wanted. Supporters of the presumed Republican presidential nominee used their majority to quash debate on most controversial platform issues, then filed out in an attempt to close off discussion of some resolutions.

That last maneuver almost backfired, however, as supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul remained in their seats and held onto enough delegates to keep the convention alive.

But when the parliamentary maneuvering pushed the convention past its 5 p.m. scheduled conclusion, Paul’s supporters lacked the necessary two-thirds majority to keep it going.

Jon Wyss, Eastern Washington coordinator for the McCain campaign, said the group was definitely better organized than for some county conventions, including Spokane County’s, where they lost platform and delegate contests to Paul supporters.

“We are extremely happy with how things went,” Wyss said as the convention wound down. Their main goal was to elect their chosen slate of delegates to the national convention, where McCain will be nominated, he said.

They did that by midmorning, when an agreement with Paul supporters and others pledged to other GOP presidential hopefuls who have dropped from the race led to the election of a “unity slate.” That list had several recognizable Republicans, including former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton and U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Washington will send 33 McCain delegates, four Paul delegates and three Mike Huckabee delegates to the national convention.

The convention slowed down over the platform and discussion of stacks of resolutions, but Wyss insisted that was not something the McCain campaign had a stake in.

“This fight is not ours,” he said. “This is state business. Our concern is the national platform.”

McCain supporters had what appeared to be a slight advantage in numbers, but an even larger advantage in organization. Armed with color-coded cards – red with “NO” and green with “YES” – they controlled most debate on issues where they differed with Paul supporters.

Paul supporters had their leaders signaling, also, by waving color-coded flags. As the morning dragged on, some delegates asked that signaling be banned, which prompted the “NO” cards to come out.

Convention chairman Kirby Wilbur rejected a request that signals not be used during a vote on whether signals should be banned, saying they were legal until the convention voted otherwise. The motion to ban the signs failed.

The most telling test was a question whether the convention would open up its national security plank to debate.

As written, it offered general statements calling for a strong America with support for the troops and acknowledgement of threats ranging from “Jihadist terrorists, proliferation of nuclear weapons and emerging regional powers.”

It had no specific reference to the war in Iraq, a point on which McCain and Paul differ. McCain voted to give President Bush authority to send troops into Iraq; Paul voted against it. McCain has said he will keep troops in Iraq until the United States wins the war; Paul has argued the continued military presence is unconstitutional.

Delegates never got to debate their support or opposition for the war in Iraq in the platform. But after a significant number of the McCain delegates left the hall, the convention adopted a resolution – again without debate – that calls for the House of Representatives to vote on a declaration of war for any military operation. That’s something that didn’t happen for Korea, Vietnam or current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is a major bone of contention between McCain, who supports continued U.S. presence in those countries, and Paul, who opposes them.

The convention primarily debated issues on which McCain, Paul and most Republicans agree, such as gun rights. In a plank on “personal, civil and religious liberty,” delegates discussed whether to emphasize the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms.

No one spoke against gun rights, although some questioned whether the plank, which already voiced support for the entire Bill of Rights, should single out gun rights.

That change passed, although another amendment to oppose a law that takes away guns from veterans who have been diagnosed with “combat trauma” failed.

Despite repeated attempts to amend it, the platform remained a relatively general statement of principles.

Specific issues, ranging from making English the official language of the United States, opposing an initiative to allow terminally ill patients to opt for suicide or repealing the federal income tax, were approved as accompanying resolutions.