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Obama no uniter: McCain

by Mark Silva

President Barack Obama has failed at his goal of bipartisan unity, Sarah Palin will remain a "force" in the Republican Party and the United States probably is going to need some more troops in Afghanistan: So says the Republican who challenged Obama for the White House, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Oh, and the senator says he isn't sure about supporting Obama's first nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

McCain, appearing on CNN's State of the Union today, says he still is examining Sotomayor's record after the Senate Judiciary Committee sent her to the full Senate on a 13-6 votewith one of Obama's closest friends in the Senate, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, supporting the president's pick.

McCain, who opposed Sotomayor's seating on the federal Court of Appeals in New York, says he is examining her understanding of the limits of judicial powerwhile acknowledging that the nominee's expected confirmation as the first Hispanic member of the high court is a consideration and calling her rise from the projects of the Bronx to Ivy League schools and the federal bench an American success story.

Obama, however, has failed at his goal of bipartisanship, the Republican rival maintains. The leadership'ss healthcare reform legislation, he notes, was written without Republican input. And, while Obama has managed to pick off a few Republican votes at timeseight Republicans helped pass the energy bill in the House, for instance -- the president has failed to change the partisan climate in Washington as he promised.

There also is no doubt that Obama is an effective president and an excellent communicator with sizable majorities in Congress, McCain notes.

(Photo of Sen. John McCain introducing then-Gov. Sarah Palin, His running mate, in Dayton, Ohio on Aug. 29,,by Stephan Savoia / )

McCain, who picked the former governor of Alaska as his running mate last year, says that he views Palin as ontinuing to play a major role in the future of the Republican Party. He said he respects her decision to resign as governor last monthsuggesting that people make the calls best for them and their families.

The U.S. McCain said, will need to send more troops to Afghanistanand he voiced confidence in the military command to recommend what is necessary.

The Obama administration agreed this year to increase the number of troops by 21,000 but may not be inclined to deploy any more. The force now includes 62,000 U.S. and 39,000 allied troops, plus about 175,000 Afghan Army and police.

McCain plans to visit Afghanistan during the Senate's August recess.