John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone, Panama) is an American politician. McCain has been a U.S. Senator from Arizona since 1987, winning re-election in 1992, 1998, and 2004. He was a presidential candidate in the 2000 election, but was defeated in the Republican primaries by then-Texas Governor and now President George W. Bush. McCain’s initiatives in the Senate include campaign finance reform, immigration reform, and concerns about the detention of extrajudicial prisoners.
Early Life
Senator John McCain was born in Coco Solo in the U.S controlled Panama Canal Zone to Scottish-American parents. Both his father and grandfather were prominent U.S. Navy admirals (John S. McCain, Jr. and John S. McCain, Sr.). He attended Episcopal High School and graduated in 1954. That fall, McCain, like his father and grandfather, entered the United States Naval Academy. He has admitted that he disliked the life of a midshipman. Accordingly, McCain was a lackluster student and received many demerits. He graduated in 1958, and joked that he had followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom had graduated very low in their respective classes at Annapolis. McCain graduated 894th out of a class of 899. In 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, a model originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple divorced in 1980.
Race for President 2008
Many current polls have Senator McCain as one of the leading candidates in the 2008 Republican primary, but McCain has not given a definitive answer as to whether or not he will pursue the nomination in 2008 as a Republican. In the June 2005 edition of Men’s Journal magazine, McCain said that he “absolutely” would like to be President of the United States, but has not yet decided whether or not he will run again in 2008. He indicated that he would probably not make a firm decision until 2007 about another run at the White House, citing family and Senate responsibilities. On an episode of the television show The View, aired 8 November 2005, McCain remarked he would only make a decision after the 2006 mid-term elections.
He will be 72 by the time the elections roll around in 2008, making him 3 years older than the oldest elected president Ronald Reagan, but he has dismissed concerns about his age and past health concerns (malignant melanoma in 2000), stating that his condition was “excellent.” Should McCain win in 2008 and subsequently win re-election in 2012, McCain will be the oldest president to serve leaving office in January 2017 at 80 years old.
McCain’s oft-cited strengths as a presidential candidate in 2008 include national name recognition, ties to lobbying and campaign finance reform initiatives, military service (including time as a POW), running a former presidential campaign in 2000, veteran fund-raising abilities, strong advocacy for President Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, and appeal to independent voters.
His weaknesses include his age and strained relations with some elements of the Republican Party base. Some Republicans are wary of McCain’s “maverick” positions, including McCain’s Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which they charge would undermine First Amendment free speech protections, and the fact that he has sometimes sided with Democrats on issues ranging from global warming and his vote against President Bush’s 2001 tax cuts. McCain has won mixed reviews for his handling of judicial nominations, drawing criticism from some conservatives for his leadership in the Gang of 14 deal on judicial filibusters, an outcry which was later tempered by the agreement’s perceived success in averting a filibuster against U.S. Supreme Court nominees John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who won confirmation. However, these same positions are also the reasons why political moderates might support McCain in a presidential election. One area where McCain has largely won support from conservatives is in his aggressive defense of the Iraq War.
In May 2006, McCain gave the commencement address at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. During his 2000 presidential bid, McCain called the Fundamentalist Baptist pastor, Falwell, an “agent of intolerance.” With significant coverage during the campaign, McCain said that he would never back down from his earlier statement. His later appearance at Liberty University prompted questions about the McCain-Falwell relationship and a possible presidential run in 2008. McCain stated that Falwell is no longer that divisive figure and the two have discussed their shared values. McCain delivered a similar address at The New School commencement in Madison Square Garden. McCain was received by boos, jeers, and several students and professors turned their backs or waved fliers reading “McCain does not speak for me”. Jean Rohe, a student speaker at the event changed her original remarks and instead took the opportunity to rebuke McCain. McCain’s speech mentioned his unwavering support for the Iraq War and focused on hearing opposing viewpoints, listening to each other, and the relevance of opposition in a democracy.
Political Views
McCain’s voting record is that of a social conservative and a fiscal moderate, causing some conservatives in 2000 to attack him as too liberal–as a “Republican In Name Only.” He once fought against funding the construction of a new aircraft carrier, saying the money should be spent on the 12,000 enlisted families who were on food stamps. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention centered around that theme.
McCain is sometimes called a “maverick senator” because of his willingness to break with the party line. He was one of only four Republicans in the entire U.S. Congress to vote against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. He was the only Republican senator to vote against the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which he called “the biggest rip-off since the Teapot Dome Scandal.” He was also the only Republican senator to vote against the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, which phased out many of the farming subsidy programs put into place during the Great Depression. During the Republican primaries he contrasted his position with that of Governor Bush by noting that he supported tax relief that helped payers making under $75,000. In 2001, he voted for a few amendments to decrease the cuts aimed at upper-income taxpayers and increase the relief aimed at those taxpayers towards the bottom of the scale. He ultimately voted against the second tax cut passed in 2003 and has been vocal in his opposition to permanently eliminating the inheritance tax.
McCain has strenuously crusaded against pork barrel spending. McCain was principally responsible for forcing a re-evaluation of the USAF KC-767 leasing contract. He has also criticized both political parties for refusing to sacrifice President Bush’s tax cuts and spending agendas in wartime. His concerns over global warming and other environmental issues have put him at odds with the Bush administration and other Republicans. In addition, he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, reaffirming his attempt to position himself as a political moderate. However, McCain is also anti-abortion and said in 2006 that he would have signed the South Dakota legislation banning almost all abortions, although he supports exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. McCain additionally voted with the overwhelming majority of his fellow senators in the Republican caucus to impeach and remove Bill Clinton from office during the president’s 1999 trial.
McCain has been a leader in finding a solution to the illegal immigration problem through amnesty and guest worker programs. His legislation coauthored with Senator Kennedy was a major focus of debate in 2006. He has supported some moves to expand immigration to the US-including expansion of the H-1b visa program (though H-1b is technically a non-immigrant visa). In 2005, he co-sponsored a bill with Ted Kennedy that would expand use of guest worker visas. Speaking about the immigration reform protests, McCain warned the Hispanic community that it may experience a backlash if too many Hispanic flags were flown during the protests. McCain has criticized conservatives like Rush Limbaugh for not supporting more lenient immigration laws. They in turn have criticized McCain for being a liberal on this issue.
McCain has announced that he supports the inclusion of intelligent design teaching in schools. In 2005, McCain told the Arizona Daily Star that he believes “all points of view” should be available to students.
McCain is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research despite his earlier opposition to the research.
After a controversial meeting in Kuwait, he stated that he had “no confidence” in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but refused to act on his words to call for his resignation, explaining that President Bush “can have the team that he wants around him.”
McCain has been a strong supporter of the U.S. decision to overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, of a continued military presence, and of Bush’s “hawkish” foreign policy in general Despite offering support for war, McCain has urged the Bush administration to make “significant policy changes” in the Iraq War; yet, “stay the course.” He criticized the Pentagon several times, most notably concerning low troop strength in Iraq, and has called for a diversification of Iraqi national forces to better represent the multiple ethnic groups contained within the country. He stated that the United States government must do more to keep public support high for the war, stressing that “America, Iraq and the world are better off with Saddam Hussein in prison rather than in power and we must honor their sacrifice by seeing this mission through to victory.”
Official Site: JohnMcCain.com
Official PAC: www.straighttalkamerica.com
Biography Source: Wikipedia
