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GOP Frontrunners Confident On Primary Eve

(CBS News) Six months ago, Sen. John McCain was considered washed up in the presidential campaigns. Now he's leading in at least one national poll. CBS News anchor Katie Couric interviewed both McCain and his chief rival, Mitt Romney, in New Hampshire on the eve of the important Granite State primary.

Speaking with both McCain and his wife, Cindy, Couric asked: "Do you guys look at each other and say whodathunkit?"

"A lot of that had to do with after Labor Day, the voters started looking at the candidates and we had a good debate up here," McCain said. "And a little straight-talk here, Katie: The fact that the Petraeus strategy has succeeded in Iraq has given me credibility."

"You supported the surge," Couric said. "The surge was designed to increase security so political reconciliation could take place. As far as I can tell, political reconciliation still hasn't gotten very far, so can you truly say the surge was fully successful to do what it was designed to do?"

McCain responded: "It has succeeded. It has succeeded beyond many expectations, and there is now last New Year's Eve people out in the streets in Baghdad celebrating the new year for the first time. The political process is moving forward very slowly. There are no Thomas Jeffersons in Iraq. Saddam Hussein killed 'em all. The same people that are criticizing the political process are the same ones that declared the war lost. They were wrong then and, with all due respect, they're wrong now."

"Let me ask you about down the road, if in fact the Democratic nominee is Barack Obama, and you are in fact the Repubican nominee, there will be a big difference in your ages," Couric said. "You think that will become an issue on the campaign?"

"I think maybe experience and judgment may become an issue in the campaign. But let me say this: I believe that if Sen. Clinton, Sen. Edwards or Sen. Obama are the nominees or the party, all of whom I know well and respect, we will have a respectful debate. There won't be any of these negative ads, personal attacks and things like that. The American people are hungry for a debate on the issues. I look forward to any of those three, with their positions and their philosophy, debating mine. And I think the American people want that rather badly right now."

McCain's main rival in New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is campaigning in his own back yard, and outspending everyone - $53 million through September - and still finding himself behind.

"John McCain won here in 2000, beating George Bush by a wide margin," Romney told Couric. "He's got a network here. He's been endorsed by all the papers here. That's his constituency. And so I recognize this is an uphill fight for a guy to get into a race who's relatively unknown and fight his way to the top and here I am, either right about to beat him or going to beat him."

Couric said: "You must be a bit frustrated here, governor. C'mon, level with me on that."

"Why would I be frustrated? This is fabulous!" Romney said. "Literally, at the beginning of my campaign I was number five or six off the list. People said 'how do you think you can run against John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson?' Now I'm in the lead in every early state - tied for the lead or in the lead. I'm in rarefied air. Hey, for a guy from Detroit, this is pretty cool."

Does he make any apologies for basically flooding the press with negative attacks about both Mike Huckabee and McCain?

"Have you seen what comes on my side? I have been attacked from the very beginning of this campaign in a personal way. The messages that we send out describe differences on issues and record. In a campaign, you're trying to describe the very important differences that exist between you and your opponents on your record and on your positions. But it's very different if you call someone names or impugn their character."

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