GULFPORT -- No punches were thrown and the two sat back down, Cochran said. The man, who appeared ruffled after the confrontation with McCain, was an Ortega associate, but Cochran said he was unsure of his identity.
Flash-forward 21 years. Tuesday, McCain was traveling in Central America and he stopped in Colombia. In 2006 Ortega won his office back after losing a 1990 election.
Cochran, who was in South Mississippi this week, said he supports McCain, who has turned into the best presidential candidate he could have imagined. Now McCain is levelheaded, Cochran said.
He believes McCain, who he described as courageous, hard-working and better equipped to handle the nation's current challenges, is a better choice for president than Democrat Barack Obama, who has touted himself as a candidate for change.
"OK, worry about the wrong kind of change, and whether or not this might be too much change, some of which we don't need in maturity and lack of experience, in untested, unknowns," Cochran said. "There are just too many unknowns and we are at a precarious position right now in the world economy and in the international security area. We need somebody who is familiar with all of our resources and not afraid to lead. I just think we're going to come down to saying, 'Well, we better stay with somebody who has been there awhile and has the maturity of years and experiences like John McCain does.' "
Cochran spokeswoman Margaret McPhillips released the following statement:
"I think Sen. Cochran went into as much detail yesterday as is necessary to make the point that, though Sen. McCain has had problems with his temper, he has overcome them. Though Sen. Cochran saw the incident he described to you, decades have passed since then and he wanted to make the point that over the years he has seen Sen. McCain mature into an individual who is not only spirited and tenacious but also thoughtful and levelheaded. As Sen. Cochran said yesterday, he believes Sen. McCain has developed into the best possible candidate for President."
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