John McCain

John McCain

Political Career

After retiring from the Navy in 1981, McCain entered politics; he was elected to U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and again in 1984. In 1986, he ran for Arizona's open Senate seat vacated by former republican, presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. In 2000, Senator McCain ran unsuccessfully for President despite being the early favorite. Many cite President Bush’s dirty tricks resulting in McCain’s failure to win the republican nomination. Senator McCain decided again to run for President in 2008. Though not predicted to perform well, the Arizona Senator is now the front runner for the republican nomination.

Presidential endorsers

Much of Senator McCain’s 2008 presidential success can be attributed to powerful endorsements. Among the powerful endorsers includes Senator and former 2008 republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback (R-KS), former mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY), Senator John Warner (R-VA), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC),Senator Joe Lieberman (I/D CT), Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), and the infamous, former Senator, George Allen (R-VA). George Allen was once considered the republican front runner for president in 2008. However, this suddenly changed. While campaigning for re-election, George Allen was leading his opponent, Democrat Jim Web by double digits in the polls. However, on video, he was taped calling a Native American a “macaca” twice. Macaca is a racial slur in Africa. It is likely Allen learned the word from his mother who once lived in Africa. The macaca incident spread like a wildfire; instead of apologizing, Allen lied by claiming he made the word up. Allen ultimately lost his re-election bid by less than half a percent

Faux Conservativism

John McCain is Arizona’s senior senator; he is a Republican, but he is a not staunchly conservative. Senator McCain has angered many of his republican colleagues because of his bipartisanship. Some examples of this include McCain-Kennedy, gang of 14, voting against President Bush’s corporate tax cuts, criticizing former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, calling Christian leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance,” and his support for McCain-Feingold which ultimately reformed campaign finance.

On the Issues

Though Senator McCain is notorious for being an independent or very moderate republican, he supports many conservative policies.

• On abortion, Senator McCain is staunchly pro-life with the exceptions of cases involving incest, rape, or when a mother’s life is in danger. Despite his pro-life stance, Senator McCain has does not support the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
• Regarding the Iraq War, McCain is a strong supporter of the troop surge, and he believes the United States should stay in Iraq for however long necessary.
• Senator McCain also supports the war on terror, but he has been an outspoken opponent on torture and water boarding. The Senator sponsored the McCain Detainee Amendment; both the house and senate passed it overwhelmingly. The Amendment ultimately limited interrogation and inhumane treatment of detainees. Much of McCain’s support for the amendment likely came from his own experience with torture during the Vietnam War.
• As for gay marriage, Senator McCain states he believes the decision should ultimately be decided by each state. For gays in the military, McCain supports the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”
• Though Senator McCain was a member of the gang of 14, the Senator has tended to side with the Republicans in voting in favor of conservative judicial appointees. McCain voted yea in favor of Robert Bork, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Sam Alito. When Bill Clinton was impeached by the House, Senator McCain voted yea in favor of President Clinton’s removal.
• Senator McCain supports allowing but not mandating school prayer.
• Supports a ban on flag desecration.

Serving the Country

During the Vietnam War, Senator McCain flew a plane which was shot down. After regaining consciousness, McCain was nearly beaten to death by the North Vietnamese. For five years as a prisoner of war, the future Senator was routinely beaten and interrogated; McCain barely survived.

Presidential Campaign

Currently, Senator McCain is seen as the presumed GOP presidential nominee. His nomination is amongst heavy criticism from the right. Many prominent Republicans who have criticized him include Sean Hannity, Ann Colture, Billy Graham, Rush Limbaugh, and Tom Delay. The former house leader was once quoted as saying that "if John McCain were to become President, the Republican party would be finished.” Ann Colture was even quoted as saying she would work for Senator Clinton before she works for Senator McCain. Despite the criticism, John McCain is the presumed nominee.
What makes Senator McCain’s run even more impressive is the fact that many GOP rivals led the Arizona Senator in the polls shortly before the New Hampshire primary. The poor showing in the polls significantly reduced McCain’s campaign contributions. It seems nothing less than a miracle that Senator McCain managed to win the Republican nomination.
In the General election, many on the left consider McCain to the most formidable opponent due to his moderate record. However, he strongly supports the Iraq war, which the country is fed up with. Many speculate this may deter moderates. Currently, the Arizona Senator holds a slight lead in the polls in a general election against Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, if the election were held today. Of course, there is a lot of time left, so the polls will likely change.