Mark McKinnon, chief media adviser for Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, listens to McCain at a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008 in Phoenix, Ariz. After his Super Tuesday victories in California, New York and other major states, McCain, an underdog for months, proclaimed himself the front-runner at last to cheering supporters Tuesday, saying, "I don't really mind it one bit." McCain's presidential campaign has been likened to a pirate ship: A feisty captain, rhetorical saber in hand, leading a grizzled, bare-bones crew against his Republican opponents. That crew of five seasoned operatives who navigated McCain's candidacy back from the brink of death is now charting the course toward the general election. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)