Nightline: McCain, Pat Tillman, and paintball recruits -- 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

[Bozita]

Tonight on 'Nightline'

Monday, March 26, 2007 —


On the Road With John McCain

For Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., it was a homecoming weekend -- of sorts. It was the second time he's been to New Hampshire this month. Not bad for the senator from Arizona, but it did feel like a homecoming. Everywhere he went, he remembered people and they remembered him and his popular run back in 2000. Now that he's running for the 2008 race, he's back on the circuit. "Nightline's" Terry Moran joined McCain on his "Straight Talk Express" bus tour. McCain says that those moments in New Hampshire in 2000 were some of the happiest moments in his political career. He's hoping to get that feeling back, but it's not going to be easy. McCain is on the less popular side of the Iraq War, and he said that he won't make his first fundraising deadline. But McCain is a fighter, it's early and he's got a lot to say about the 2008 race and America. It's the latest in our "Contenders" series.


Pat Tillman

Former NFL star Pat Tillman gave up his lucrative career as a lineman and signed up with the U.S. Army after Sept. 11. He wanted to fight for his country. Tillman and his brother ended up in Afghanistan with the elite Army Rangers, attacking the Taliban as the United States overthrew the Islamist regime. Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident, and today, after three major investigations, the inspector general's office is offering its conclusion on what happened. Tillman's family says they were misled by the Pentagon about the circumstances surrounding their son's death. ESPN has had exclusive access to members of Tillman's unit in Afghanistan, and ESPN's Jeremy Schaap will have our report tonight.


Recruiting Wars

It's no secret the Pentagon has been struggling for several years to keep recruitment levels up and supply more U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, what's the latest approach to finding recruits? Paintball warriors. The phenomenally successful recreational activity -- said to have a following of more than 10 million people -- is now the target of an Army recruiter who thinks he can find some new recruits. ABC's John Berman embeds in the "Paintball Wars," and it's our Sign of the Times.

We hope you'll join us.

Gerry Holmes and the "Nightline" staff
Washington, D.C.