John McCain on Principles & Values Republican nominee for President; Senior Senator (AZ)

Sub-sections under Principles & Values:
• Campaign Themes
• Iraq War
• Past Campaigns
• Personal History
• Voting Record
• Other issues under Principles & Values

I am not President Bush; so don’t run against him!

McCAIN: Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago. I’m going to give a new direction to this economy in this country.

People should know about Obama connection to ACORN & Ayers

OBAMA: Let me tell you who I associate with. On economic policy, I associate with Warren Buffett and former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. If I’m interested in figuring out my foreign policy, I associate myself with my running mate, Joe Biden or wit Dick Lugar, the Republican ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, or General Jim Jones, the former supreme allied commander of NATO. Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House. And the fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Sen. McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me.

Identified with Wright brothers, for tenacity & resolve

Located in America's heartland, Wright State University was named for two of the nation's most innovative minds, Orville and Wilbur Wright. Using tenacity and stubborn resolve, the brothers had applied their imagination and ingenuity to the problem of manned flight, a cause most thought hopeless. Working in their bicycle shop just down the road, they fashioned a fragile craft of wood and paper and found a solution to a seemingly unsolvable riddle. The next winter they took their winged craft to the windswept beaches of North Carolina and soared into history, leaving behind an indelible mark on the twentieth century.

Governors Clinton & Reagan were underestimated too

A: This is not the first time that I’ve seen a governor being questioned by some “expert.” I remember that Ronald Reagan was a cowboy. I remember that Bill Clinton was a governor of a very small state and had no experience either. But the point is, I’ve seen underestimation before. And that’s fine. We understand what this is all about. So, I’m very proud of the excitement that Gov. Palin has ignited with our party and around this country.

America is an idea and a cause worth fighting for

I’m running for president because my country saved me

Serve a cause greater than yourself

I’m a proud citizen of the greatest country on Earth

Palin has governed our largest state & 20% of US’s energy

A: She’s been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20% of America’s energy supply. She’s been a mayor. I’m very excited. I mean, this person is going to come to Washington and the “old boy” network, they better look out, because change is coming.

A: Every single presidential nominee has said that the first quality they look for in a vice presidential pick is the capability and the readiness to take over as president. Can you look the country straight in the eye and say Sarah Palin has the qualities and has enough experience to be commander in chief?

A: Oh, absolutely. Having been the governor of our largest state, the commander of their National Guard, she was once in charge of their natural resources assets, actually, until she found out there was corruption and she quit and said it had to be fixed.

Obama lacks judgment, not experience; Palin has judgment

A: I said that he didn’t have the judgment. He didn’t have the judgment on Iraq. He still refuses to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded. Gov. Palin knows the surge has succeeded. She’s the commander of the Alaskan National Guard. He said that Iran was a tiny problem He’s never visited south of our border. He has no experience on these issues. She has been in charge and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities. Sen. Obama has never had a position of responsibility to do with many of those responsibilities. I’m proud of her vision. I’m proud of her strength. And everybody knows energy is a key element in American strength and future. She knows how to address that issue.

Reform, prosperity, and peace

A: Reform, prosperity, and peace. We’ll reform the way that Washington does business. Senator Obama has never taken on his party or had any real reform agenda. Prosperity, get jobs back, keep taxes low, invigorate our economy and get it moving again, and peace, I know how to secure the peace. I hate war. I hate war. Most veterans do. All veterans that I know do. And we can secure the peace. This is a very dangerous world we live in and I know how to do that. Senator Obama has been consistently wrong on national security issues. I have been consistently correct.

McCain has actively & successfully courted the press

The press's affection for McCain is built on 3 foundations: his Vietnam experience, his advocacy for campaign finance reforms, and his style in dealing with reporters.

1. They view politicians as craven; McCain's undeniable courage in Vietnam casts him as the bravest of politicians.
2. They view politicians as shameless supplicants to their contributors; McCain's advocacy of campaign finance reform makes him in their eyes America's premier "reformer".
3. They view politicians as cynically manipulative when it come to dealing with journalists; McCain's attentive courting makes him "genuine" and "authentic" in a way no other politician can seem to achieve.

1980s: Paid back $112,000 in donations from Charles Keating

News reports and congressional hearings eventually showed that Keating was in fact a longtime friend of the Arizona senator's; and after his 1982 victory, McCain and his family made at least nine trips on Keating's dime, three of which were to Keating's own home in the Bahamas. McCain never disclosed the trips, as House ruled required, until the scandal came out into the open in 1989. McCain was adamant that he "in no way abused" his office.

McCain considered himself exonerated by the final ruling and contributed $112,000--the amount Keating raised for him--to the Treasury. McCain's story also conveniently left out the fact that as a congressman he sponsored legislation to delay new regulations limiting risky investments by S&Ls--legislation that benefited his friend Charles Keating.

Keating scandal made McCain averse to partisanship

It was hardly the first time this story has been told. "Prison shaped his character," read the subtitle to a glowing Time magazine portrait in December 1999. "Scandal shaped his crusade." "McCain learned from his mistakes, and then some. He became a tireless crusader against the nefarious influence of big money or the political system."

OpEd: McCain's racial slurs are called "candor" by press

"I get in trouble all the time and I will continue to get in trouble," McCain told an AP reporter. McCain realizes that while he may say something rude and offensive, the payoff--in the form of fawning coverage from a press corps that loves to reward "candor"--far outstrips the risks.

During his many famous bull session on the Straight Talk Express, McCain would blithely refer to his Vietnamese captors as "gooks." Imagine another politician in the same context--say, John Kerry letting slip the word "gook" and justifying it with his Vietnam duty. The press, not to mention the right-wing media machine, would have a field day.

OpEd: McCain hustles donations like others; no more; no less

One could look at the list of McCain's lobbyists connections, or his corporate fund-raising, or his campaign filled with many of the people who put and kept George W. Bush I office, and say it's just how the system works. The same might be said of anyone immersed in the Washington establishment for a quarter of a century. But McCain's message has always been that he may be in the system, but he is not of it. Speaking in 2000, a veteran Washington lobbyist was blunt about McCain: "He's hustling the same guys the rest of 'em are. No more, no less."

Holds record for press mentions & appearances

The same holds true for he dispensers of conventional wisdom that are the Sunday morning talk shows. Between 1997 and 2006, John McCain was by far the most frequent guest on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and This Week. Over that period, McCain appeared as a guest 35 times.

Moreover, McCain has had the benefit of usually appearing solo on those shows, instead of sharing the time with someone from across the partisan or ideological aisle. When a guest is interviewed alone by the host of a Sunday show, the networks send a message that what the person says is so important that it needs to be presented with no contradiction or interruption from a fellow guest.

My most basic conservative principle: liberty comes from God

Disagrees with his mom; he can unite the party

R. McCAIN: I don’t think he has any. Maybe I don’t know enough about it, but I’ve not seen any help whatsoever.

Q: So can he then go o and become the nominee of this party?

R. McCAIN: Yes, I think holding their nose they’re going to have to take him.

Q: [to John McCain]: One, is your mother right? And two, how do you persuade conservatives to stop holding their nose?

J. McCAIN: I love my mother dearly, but really, my mom is not a complete expert on this issue. I love her candor, but look, we’re doing fine with the conservatives and the moderates and the liberals. The key is to unite the party, when the primaries are over, unite the entire party, and I’m confident I can do that. There’s going to be real strong differences, and I think that our party will unite, and I’ve got some work to do. But it’s all parts of the party.

Anticipates spirited debate on differences with Democrats

McCAIN: I think we will have a very spirited [race].

CLINTON: Well, I think we both have our hands full.

McCAIN: Yeah, I think we’ll have very respectful but very spirited debate. I think that Senator Clinton would be the first to acknowledge, as she’s already mentioned in several appearances and debates with the Democrats that we’ll have very significant differences. And I think the American people will see those differences and make a judgment.

Q: Senator Clinton, do you have a response to that?

CLINTON: No, I agree with that. I think that John and I will have a respectful debate, but we do have serious differences about the direction of the country and what we think should be done. But that’s exactly the kind of election that our country needs right now, and I’m looking forward to it.

McCAIN: Do you want to start that debate now?

Proud of Justice O’Connor; favor Roberts and Alito

A: I’m proud of Sandra Day O’Connor as a fellow Arizonan. And my heart goes out to her family in that situation that they have today. And I’m proud of her. The judges I would appoint are along the lines of Justices Roberts and Alito, who have a proven record of strict interpretation of the Constitution of the US. I’m not going to second-guess Reagan.

Reagan knows that I stick with my principles

A: Reagan would not approve of someone who changes their positions depending on what the year is. Reagan came with an unshakable set of principles, and there were many times, like when he had to deploy the cruise missile to Europe and there were hundreds of thousands of demonstrators against it, he stood with it. Reagan had a deal in Reykjavik that everybody wanted him to take, but he stuck with his principles. He knows that I stick with my principles.

GovWatch: No, Constitution says we’re not a Christian nation

A number of Republican candidates have made erroneous statements about the Christian underpinnings of America. According to Mike Huckabee, most of the Founding Fathers were clergymen. Duncan Hunter repeated an old myth about the personal prayer book of George Washington. But McCain’s statement seemed the most egregious. Anyone who wants to be president should be intimately familiar with the constitution. Article Six states that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United Sates.”

Able to work with others with own set of principles

Op-Ed: Unexamined as both straight-talker and as maverick

We all know the dazzling highlights from his larger-than-life biography--the torture in Vietnam, the Straight-Talk insurgency, the campaign finance reform, maybe even some traces from the Keating Five scandal. But how might these experiences translate into future performance as president?

With such an epic bio to convey, and the anecdote-generating distraction of constant success, there wasn’t much time or space to analyze McCain’s actual political philosophy and track record. As a direct result, much of what we think we know about John McCain is wrong. He does not, for instance, talk particularly straight.

Emulates TR on vigor, nationalism, common good, intervention

• McCain, like Roosevelt, is famous for his boundless, restless, productive energy.
• Roosevelt's call for a nearly militaristic sense of citizenship has not dulled McCain's appetite for more of the same.
• McCain writes, "Roosevelt, that common destiny surpassed material gain and self-interest. Our freedom and our industry must aspire to more than acquisition and luxury." Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is the definition of authoritarianism.
• There is literally no Roosevelt military action that McCain finds deserving of retrospective criticism.

Published 5 books over period of 8 years

1. Faith of My Fathers highlighted the senator's most winning personal story, while imposing an interpretation of redemption that cleared the decks for concentrating on the greater cause of erasing public cynicism and embracing our nation's destiny.
2. Worth Fighting For, is a paean to irascible political independence and cross-partisan cooperation, showing the burn scars of the 2000 primary fight, while further developing McCain's ideas for "national greatness."
3. Why Courage Matters, from 2004, is the sore thumb of the bunch, a perfunctory and unsatisfying attempt to answer his publisher's question of how Americans could go about finding their courage after Sep. 11.
4. Character Is Destiny, as detailed in chapter 11, is perfectly in keeping with McCain's rapprochement with the Religious Right.
5. And now Hard Call provides an opportunity to associate McCain with courageous decision-makers.

Considers his heroes as one of his qualifications to lead

Everybody has heroes. Some of us (including Giuliani and former New Yorker editor Tina Brown) list McCain among them. But does that quality of our chosen inspiration "qualify" us for the highest office in the land? McCain apparently takes that curious notion seriously enough that he made the same comment on Bill O'Reilly's TV show just days before ("I believe my whole life, my inspiration, my heroes and my experience have qualified me to serve"), then quickly sent out press releases highlighting that line, and repeated the idea yet again in interviews just following the New Hampshire debate.

Praises Teddy Roosevelt's expansion of executive power

Focus on what America COULD do; not what gov't SHOULDN'T do

Most important part of decision-making is self-awareness

• Are you better at seeing the big picture and less adept at gathering and evaluating details?
• Are you patient? Impulsive?
• Once you’ve made up your mind, are you intent on moving on? Or will you change your mind even late in the game?
• What are your most common mistakes?
• Do you work well under pressure, or are you much better when you have time to wait on more information?
• Most important, do you know these things about yourself? Have you a team designed, at least in part, to compensate for your shortcomings?

In short, the better aware you are, the more sound your decision. What is the most common observation made by someone who made the wrong call? “I really didn’t know.”

If I lose capacity for anger, I lose capacity to serve

A: You know, that routine was tried very hard in 2000. It’s simply not true. I mean, do I get angry at corruption when I see it? Sure. Do I get angry when I see this pork barrel spending? Of course. Do I get angry when I see people not acting up to standards that the American people expect us to do? Of course. Do I have “temper tantrums?” No, I don’t. And yet if I lose my capacity for anger, then I’ve lost my capacity to serve.

Needs independents to win ‘08 primary; but GOP dislikes them

McCain will have to compete for the Independent vote not only with his fellow GOP candidates, but with those running in the Democratic primaries as well. Most states that permit Independents to vote in any primary let them participate in whichever they choose. So, the candidates whose positions are moderate and independent enough to win the general election--Giuliani and McCain--probably cannot get nominated by the stalwarts of the GOP.

Courage is the capacity for action despite our fears

Humility from surviving veterans is remarkable

Just government is derived from the consent of the governed

We need moral courage to be honest all the time

Do the thing you think you cannot do

The allure of pride affects adults like it affects children

We are indebted to those who shed blood for us

It’s love that makes courage necessary

Political style is to be straightforward

Principles are more important than personal happiness

Temper is same as other senators--he’s just more famous

McCain can at times become testy for no apparent reason. He does explode on occasion, but he also knows how and when to keep his temper under control. Other senators are known to explode, but McCain’s temper is famous in large part because he’s famous and in large part because he has some dedicated enemies in the Senate.

In fact, during the presidential campaign, some of his Senate “colleagues” conducted a smear campaign suggesting that McCain was unstable. They disliked his independent style and his occasional displays of temper--and they were for George W. Bush. But once they were called on it in a newspaper column, they first denied it and then they stopped it.

Keep tight reign on emotions--not to high nor too depressed

And then he talked about his effort to hold his emotions in check, which he’d talked about throughout this fight, in a new way. “I learned from prison, you don’t go too far high because then you go down.” He explained, “While I was in prison, in 1968 LBJ stopped bombing in North Vietnam, and a peace conference was convened in Paris. All of us were very high. The ensuing months and years taught us otherwise. Never get too happy or too depressed. I try to maintain a tight rein on my emotions when in difficulty.”

Reputation of volcanic temper shared even within GOP

Over lunch a year after South Carolina, John McCain still bridles at the tone of his Republican colleagues. "Lott said some of the most malicious things I've ever heard," he declares.

Identifies with Teddy Roosevelt, but only some reforms apply

Roosevelt represented the forward-thinking, activist wing of his party against a stand-pat, pro-business wing. Roosevelt was, by virtue of his war experience and his early years into the Dakota Badlands, inoculated against being an effete reformer, a "good-government" know-it-all. How could McCain NOT want to compare himself with this canonized political figure?

Roosevelt was able to advocate reformist change by playing off two extremes of wild-eyed radicals and the worst do-nothing conservatives. In the current language of political campaigns, Roosevelt was able to "triangulate." That was a middle ground that, for all his efforts, McCain could not find, if only because the conditions were different. In short, the reality of present conditions did not match McCain's larger rhetoric.

Re-adjusted to civilian life after POW years: no "imbalance"

Fight to restore the pride and principles of our party

Faith bridges unbridgeable gaps in humanity

That is my faith; the faith that unites and never divides; the faith that bridges unbridgeable gaps in humanity. It is the faith I would die to defend.

Calls himself conservative who attracts political center

Foreign policy should not be shaped by photo-ops & polls

Restore, renew, reform, & reinvigorate government

“New Patriotic Challenge”: stand against cynicism

Public officials have failed to set example for society

Palin is a reformer and a role model

McCAIN: Sarah Palin took on a governor who was a member of her own party when she ran for governor. When she was the head of their energy and natural resources board, she saw corruption, she resigned. She’s given money back to the taxpayers. She’s cut the size of government. She negotiated with the oil companies and faced them down.

OBAMA: Joe Biden is one of the finest public servants that has served in this country. It’s not just that he has some of the best foreign policy credentials of anybody. It’s also that he has never forgotten where he came from, fighting on behalf of working families, remembering what it’s like to see his father lose his job and go through a downward spiral economically.

I fight for Americans; I fight for you

Warning to Washington crowd: Change is coming

Fight for what’s right for our country

I’m a mainstream conservative; judge my record as a whole

Surely, I have held some positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won’t pretend otherwise nor would you permit me to forget it.

All I ask of any American, conservative, moderate, independent, or enlightened Democrat, is to judge my record as a whole, and accept that I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep.

This 2008 election is about hugely consequential things

The vision, knowledge, and background to be president

A: Because I know how to lead. I led the largest squadron in the US Navy. And I did it out of patriotism, not for profit. And I can hire lots of managers, but leadership is a quality that people look for. I have the vision and the knowledge and the background to take on the transcendent issue of the 21st century, which is radical Islamic extremism. I’ve been involved in every single major nationa security crisis in the last 20 years. I’m proud to have played a role in those, and I’m proud to have played a role in making sure that we didn’t raise the white flag and surrender in Iraq, as the Democrats wanted us to do and we would have done if we had set timetables for a withdrawal. I have the qualifications and the knowledge and the background and the judgment. I don’t need any on-the-job training. I had the great honor of serving this country in uniform for 22 years.

People want the truth, even if they disagree

: I’m pleased. I know we were at a very low point. We’ve been traveling around the country telling people the truth. And here in New Hampshire people, frankly, don’t mind it if you disagree with him as long as they think that you’re telling them the truth. We had our 100th town hall meeting here yesterday, and we had some very spirited exchanges. I think that’s what the people of New Hampshire want.

Q: You said this last week: “The American people have lost their trust and confidence in their government. Our failures at Katrina, the war in Iraq, corruption and spending in Washington.” That’s a denunciation of George W. Bush.

A: Well, it’s certainly a criticism, but I also have pointed out, we’ve not had another attack on the US. I think he deserves credit for that. He led this nation after 9/11 and united us.

I didn’t manage for profit, I led for patriotism

A: I think it’s pretty obvious that that statement was a paraphrase of Howard Dean’s statement about the Democrat party. The fact is, I’m running on my record as a reliable conservative of 24 years. And the indicators of that, obviously, is that I’ve fought wasteful spending, I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I’ve been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn’t a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn’t a governor for a short period of time. For 20-some years, including leading the largest squadron in the US Navy, I led. I didn’t manage for profit, I led for patriotism.

Philosophy of worthy sacrifice from For Whom the Bell Tolls

It takes real message discipline to convert the fuel of an essentially anti-imperialist novel into the fire of virtuous empire. [But McCain was] initially thrilled for an altogether different reason. [Describing the book’s protagonist], McCain said, ”He’s a man who’s willing to sacrifice his life for what he believes in, even if what he believes in he realizes is flawed in many respects.“

Hard Calls: consider stakes; time; preparedness; confidence

Time is the second consideration. When does the problem become unsolvable? When will the opportunity pass?

The third critical question: Are you prepared for the decision? Do you know your business? Have you already gained the knowledge to make the call? Do you know what you don’t know?

Fourth, do you have confidence, an informed confidence, that the information you are using is reliable? Are your assumptions no more than groupthink? False information is often perpetuated and will lead you to not only one bad decision but possibly several.

Reform gov’t, fight Islamic extremism; & restore integrity

A: Reform government, fight this Islamic extremist element--that is a threat that challenges the world--and restore integrity to government.

I am here to serve, but not necessarily as president

A: No. I do feel that--and I hope I say this adequately--I think that I am here to serve. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it means serve as president. I’ve been blessed to be able to serve for many, many years both in the military and in public office. But it doesn’t mean that I was meant to be president. It just means that whatever time I have left, I would be of service to the country.

Looks to Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, & Eisenhower as models

A: Obviously, I would look at the Reagan style. I would look at Teddy Roosevelt. Eisenhower was a good example of having a good structured staff--but at the same time get input from outside your own circle of advisers, rely on people that I’ve relied on for many years to give me advice and counsel on a broad range of issues, and they don’t necessarily happen to be people who either work for you or are in your inner circle. I think when presidencies become beleaguered, they have a tendency to circle the wagons. That’s a natural tendency. I think we need to get advice and counsel from a lot of smart people all over the country and the world.

Loyalty is important, but performance should come first

A: There’s an old Navy saying, that loyalty up breeds loyalty down. In other words, you’ve got to have people who are loyal to you as well as you being loyal to them. But it can’t be the most important quality. It’s a very important quality, but you also have to expect a certain level of performance that’s neither embarrassing to you, embarrassing to the American people and, most importantly, a betrayal of the standards that we expect of public servants.

Man of the People: happy to be a Republican and a Reaganite

That’s where we are today. I entitled this book Man of the People because, even though he arrived in Washington in 1982 a Reaganite, over his 20-year political career he has evolved into the one current politician who best articulates the hopes and dreams of the common man. That he is an authentic American hero, though he himself will never say he is, only underscores the authority he has to say what he does.

Straight Talk focuses on appeal via authenticity

Obama broke his word on public campaign financing

2000: Positioned himself as anti-establishment underdog

2004: Press speculated about Kerry-McCain, but McCain didn't

But in the heady climate of a presidential campaign, conjecture frequently trumps reality. And so it was that the next couple of months saw the idea of a Kerry-McCain dream ticket gain currency. Although no formal offers were made (or rejected), Washington was abuzz with rumors that Kerry was putting on the full-court press to recruit his Senate colleague. But McCain could not have been clearer about his decision even as speculation ran wild.

Known as a "staunch conservative" until 1999

Up until his 2000 run for the White House, McCain had been regularly described in the press as a "staunch conservative." He was able to change that image not by altering his positions on fundamental issues, but by planning a few showy acts of bipartisanship that delighted Democrats, peeved Republicans, and served to distort his overall record. Anyone watching coverage of McCain over the ensuing years would come to believe that some sort of ideological transformation had taken place, to the point where McCain had become the most prominent moderate in Washington.

Writers invoked Theodore Roosevelt as the model for McCain, a comparison that the senator encouraged.

GovWatch: 2002: Religious Right are “agents of intolerance”

During the 2002 election campaign, McCain attacked Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as “agents of intolerance.” He withdrew that remark in a 2006 interview with Meet the Press, saying that the Christian Right had a “major role to play in the Republican party.”

FactCheck: Won NH & SC via independents, but lost GOP vote

McCain can point to an exit poll done separately by Fox News, which shows him beating Romney among Republicans in New Hampshire, 35% to 33%. The same poll, though, shows Romney received more of the self-identified “conservative” vote, 38% to McCain’s 31%.

But if McCain wants to use Fox’s exit polls as his standard, the one taken after the South Carolina primary disproves his point: Huckabee edged him among Republican voters, 32% to 31%, and it was only through the votes of independents, who swung for him 42% to 25%, that McCain prevailed.

1983: Claiming Hanoi residency ended carpetbagger accusation

What happened next has become the stuff of legend. At a candidates’ forum, McCain was asked about his carpetbagging again & became irate. “Listen, pal,” he snapped. “I spent 22 years in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of spending my entire life in a nice place like the 1st District of Arizona. As a matter of fact, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.“

It was a beautiful line, neutralizing the criticism once & for all, maybe even delivering that first election to McCain. It was also, transparently, a lie: McCain lived in Arlington VA for at least five years as a kid, and several years later as Navy liaison. He wrapped himself in his imprisonment, and made his interlocutors feel like ungrateful chumps for even asking about it.

Keating Five scandal converted him to champion of reform

But as 1990 turned into 1991, with televised hearings making McCain’s face a national symbol of Beltway corruption, it was time to call in the big guns. McCain reached out to former AZ Senator Barry Goldwater, who had over the years finally begun to warm to him [and politically recovered from the scandal].

The Keating Five corruption and campaign-finance scandal that for the first time threatened to derail his fast-track ambitions converted McCain into a champion of reform.

Keating Five: investigated during 90s Savings & Loan scandal

There the story might have ended, except that over 1,000 Savings & Loan institutions were busy collapsing, none larger than Lincoln Savings & Loan, whose failure would eventually cost taxpayers northward of $3 billion. Keating’s behavior would end in convictions for fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy.

Of the five senators, McCain had had by far the closest relationship with Keating, but it had ended abruptly just before the senators’ meetings with the regulators in 1987, after Keating made the fatal mistake of calling McCain a “wimp”. McCain seethed at him, and that was that.

Absent from Values Voter Presidential Debate

SEN. MCCAIN: [absent from podium]

MODERATOR: Silence. Next question.

GOP lost 2006 due to corrupt spending, spending, spending

A: Spending, spending, spending, spending, which led to corruption. We have former members of Congress in jail as we speak because of this earmarking. We let spending get out of control, we presided over the largest increase in the size of government since the Great Society, and our constituents and our Republicans became dispirited and disenchanted. We’ve got to stop the earmarking. The bridge to nowhere, a $233 million bridge to an island in Alaska with 50 people on it, was the tipping point. I want to promise you, as president of the United States, I’ll veto every bill that has a pork-barrel project on it, and I’ll make the authors of it famous, and we’ll get spending under control, and we’ll stop the corruption in Washington.

Straight Talk America PAC endorses 60 House candidates

Endorsed House campaigns
• AL: Spencer Bachus
• AZ: Ron Drake,Jeff Flake,Rick Renzi,John Shadegg
• CA: Brian Bilbray,Mary Bono,Dan Lungren
• CT: Chris Shays,Nancy Johnson,Rob Simmons
• DE: Mike Castle
• FL: Ander Crenshaw,Tom Feeney,Adam Putna
• IA: Jeff Lamberti,Tom Latham,Mike Whalen
• IL: Mark Kirk,David McSweeney,Peter Roskam,John Shimkus
• IN: Mike Sodrel,Chris Chocola
• KS: Jerry Moran
• KY: Geoff Davis
• MD: Daniel Zubairi
• MI: Candice Miller,Fred Upton,Tim Walberg
• MN: Gil Gutknecht,John Kline
• MO: Jon Porter
• MS: Chip Pickering
• NH: Jeb Bradley,Charlie Bass
• NM: Heather Wilson
• NY: Sue Kelly,John Sweeney,Tom Reynolds
• OH: Chuck Blasdel,Steve Chabot
• PA: Mike Fitzpatrick,Jim Gerlach,Todd Platts,Curt Weldon
• TX: Michael McCaul,Mike Conaway
• UT: Chris Cannon
• VT: Martha Rainville
• VA: Tom Davis,Frank Wolfe
• WA: Doug Roulstone,Dave Reichert
• WV: Chris Wakim
• WI: John Gard

McCain’s PAC endorses 19 Senate & 17 governor candidates

Candidates endorsed for Governor:
• Bob Riley (AL)
• Asa Hutchinson (AR)
• Len Munsil (AZ)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA)
• Bob Beauprez (CO)
• Jodi Rell (CT)
• Charlie Crist (FL)
• Sonny Perdue (GA)
• Linda Lingle (HI)
• Ken Blackwell (OH)
• Jim Nussle (IA)
• Judy Baar Topinka (IL)
• Kerry Healey (MA)
• Dick DeVos (MI)
• Tim Pawlenty (MN)
• Mark Sanford (SC)
• Rick Perry (TX)

Candidates endorsed for Senate:
• Jon Kyl (AZ)
• Michael Steele (MD)
• Susan Collins (ME)
• Olympia Snowe (ME)
• Mike Bouchard (MI)
• Mark Kennedy (MN)
• Jim Talent (MO)
• Richard Burr (NC)
• Pete Ricketts (NE)
• Tom Kean (NJ)
• Mike DeWine (OH)
• Rick Santorum (PA)
• Lincoln Chafee (RI)
• Bob Corker (TN)
• Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
• Rich Tarrant (VT)
• George Allen (VA)
• Mike McGavick (WA)
• John Raese (WV)

Denounces “Swift Boat Vets” ads as dishonest

The 60-second ad by a group called “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” accuses Kerry of lying about his decorated Vietnam War record and betraying his fellow veterans by later opposing the conflict. McCain said he’s speaking out against the anti-Kerry ad because he believes it’s bad for the political system. “It reopens all the old wounds of the Vietnam War, which I spent the last 35 years trying to heal,” he said. “None of these individuals served on the boat Kerry commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam.

A Bush spokesperson said, ”The Bush campaign never has and will never question John Kerry’s service in Vietnam.“

2000 race: More grass-roots populism than Republicanism

He connected with his audience. He was not your run-of-the-mill politician. He was a true believer who wanted to change the very way Washington had come to function. He was a visionary. He was dangerous. His followers loved him.

2000 race: Maverick positions became threat to GOP

Residual bitterness at Bush from 2000 campaign

The Bush camp’s resentment obviously stemmed from the fact that McCain had interrupted what was supposed to be Bush’s stately march to the GOP’s coronation. McCain defeated Bush in eight primaries, and he was ultimately defeated by Bush’s superior resources and closed primaries in which only Republicans could vote. (McCain had been winning among Independents and had succeeded in pulling new people, especially young people, into politics.) When Bush first came to Washington to confer with congressional leaders, he referred to McCain distantly as “my former opponent.

Time for closure on a bizarre situation

A: If it was a book, we wouldn’t read it.

Q: Bad fiction, right?

A: It’s too bizarre. Bad fiction, too bizarre. Nobody would believe the plot. It wouldn’t sell a thousand copies. I just think that it’s time we brought this process to a conclusion. I know it’s tough. I think I know as well as most anyone having lost a campaign myself. But we’ve got to bring this to a close. The American people are very patient. This is no constitutional crisis, there’s no panic. But the American people want it brought to a close.

Q: How do you settle a dispute without a court?

A: I think you recognize the verdict of the voters, and I think that if there is some blatant or egregious violation of law, obviously we go after that. I am in sympathy with the vice president and Joe Lieberman. They won the majority of the popular vote. I can understand why they would be unhappy. I’m afraid that litigation will not resolve this issue by [the Dec. 12 deadline].

1990: McCain & Glenn exonerated in Keating 5 scandal

McCain, along wit John Glenn, found himself caught in the middle of an unfortunate investigation. Both men were linked by association with three senators--Cranston, DeConcini, and Riegle--whose actions were highly questionable. Both McCain and Glenn had their otherwise sterling reputations tainted. Three years later, the congressional verdict questioned their judgement, but absolved them of charges, and stipulated that they should not have been subject of inquiry in the first place.

One is liable to suggest that justice was not properly served in the Keating Five investigation. But Cranston was unelectable. DeConcini and Riegle chose not to run for re-election. By contrast, both Glenn and McCain ran for re-election in 1992 and won with relative ease.

Suspends campaign, citing Republican preference for Bush

Will take reform crusade back to the Senate

Leaves race, urging service to country

Reagan Republican: simplify taxes, stop waste, pay down debt

Here’s some straight talk.
• I’m a proud Reagan Republican.
• I’ll tear up the 44,000-page tax code that benefits special interests.
• Stop the outrageous waste and pork barrel spending that steals your money.
• Use the surplus to secure Social Security, cut middle class taxes and pay down the debt.
• Give me your vote, and we’ll give you back your government.

Support conservative issues, not far-right leaders

The GOP should be inclusive

Campaigning to return government to the people

Favorite movie: “Viva Zapata”, a heroic tale of sacrifice

A: “Viva Zapata.” It’s a movie made by Elia Kazan. It was one of the trilogy of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and “On the Waterfront” and “Viva Zapata.” Marlon Brando stars in it. He plays Zapata. It’s a heroic tale of a person who sacrificed everything for what he believed in.

Q: Do you have a favorite scene?

A: There’s some of the most moving scenes in that movie that I’ve ever seen. And one of them is he gets married. The night of his wedding he gets up, they’re in this little hotel room, and he says, “I gotta go to Mexico City tomorrow. I’ve gotta be with Poncho Villa and Modero and these people.” He says “I can’t read.” And she reaches over and takes the bible from the table and opens it up and starts, “In the beginning.” It’s a great scene. It’s great and there’s many others that are wonderful too, especially when he dies--when he gives everything for his country and what he believes in.

OpEd: Senator Hothead nickname is well-earned

Far from empty claims by an antagonistic journalist, these accusations are backed up by a long record of abusive behavior by the senato that has been minimized by the establishment media in his rise to superstardom. Senator Hothead, as the nickname suggests, can be mean and even vicious, something few Americans seem to know.

The state of Arizona is littered with stories of the senator giving full vent to his rage. An unnamed GOP Senator suggested that McCain's temper had been genuinely detrimental to his effectiveness as a leader. "If he could just count to five sometimes, he would probably get a lot more done," said the lawmaker.

1980: Second marriage only 3 months after first divorce

Inspired by Reagan while in the North Vietnam prison camps

Spent 10 years “doing everything I can to control my temper”

A full decade earlier, he confessed to USA Today that he had “spent the last 10 years doing everything I can to control my temper,” and in 1999 he told the L.A. Times: “I wake up daily and tell myself, ‘You must everything possible to stay cool, calm and collected today.’ ”

One of the lazier myths about McCain is that this hairtrigger is somehow the result of his captivity in Vietnam. McCain’s ow books are filled with examples of a pre-Vietnam John blowing his stack. We learn that a 2-year-old McCain would become so furious that he’d hold his breath until he passed out, a condition which his parents treated by dunking him in ice water.

As teenager, inherited obligation to attend Annapolis

As far back as he could remember, Johnny McCain knew he was going to Annapolis, knew it with such unshakable finality that he never really thought twice about it, at least not seriously. It was part of the air he breathed, the ether through which he moved, the single immutable element in his life. He also knew that if he said what he thought--hold it, screw Annapolis, the place sucks--shock waves would reverberate through countless generations of McCains, shaking a military tradition that could both inspire and bully.

An indifferent student except in English and history, he might have taken a dive on the entrance exams. Instead, he aced them, claiming his birthright. And so, on an early summer’s day in 1954, John McCain journeyed to Annapolis, raised his right hand, and marched joylessly into his future.

Admiral Slew McCain set John’s standard for grit & courage

John’s grandfather, Slew McCain, graduated a lackluster 79th out of 116 from the Naval Academy. Like his son and grandson, both of whom ranked even lower, Slew McCain would prove that a second-rate record at Annapolis did not foreclose success in the Navy.

Aboard the Missouri in Tokyo Bay in 1945 Vice Admiral McCain took his place in the ceremony recorded for posterity, then left for his San Diego home. He was dead of a heart attack four days later. “He knew his number was up,” said one colleague, “but he wouldn’t lie down and die until he got home.”

Two decades later, his grandson would similarly face the temptation to lie down and die. But the old man had set the McCain family standard for grit and courage, and John McCain, always did his best to live up to family standards.

Born at a Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone

Roberta gave birth to Johnny at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone on August 29, 1936. The timing was auspicious. The base commander was his grandfather. Johnny’s father Jack was stationed nearby, at a small submarine facility. For that brief period, Panama became the epicenter of three generations.

Relationship with father was one of respect, more than love

Jack attempted to instill in his son the same code of personal honor by which he tried to live. “My strongest impression of my father is of this sense of integrity and honor, a code of gentlemanly conduct that was a trademark of his behavior,” said John.

But father and son did not hunt or fish together, go to the movies, museums, or ballgames. [John’s mother] Roberta said she doesn’t remember Jack ever disciplining John. “Jack was really kind of removed from things in a way,” she said.

John spoke of pride, honor, and integrity when discussing his father, but rarely love, as if their relationship was one of respect, but not real affection. There also seems to have been some resentment: “I didn’t spend as much time with him as maybe I would have if he’d been more committed to being around me,” John said on one occasion.

Not youngest candidate, but certainly the most prepared

A: Mm-hmm.A: Well, you know, my energy level is great. I work 24/7. I’m pleased that I am in the excellent health, and I believe that I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I’m certainly the most prepared.

Admiral McCain’s health failed after retiring from the Navy

I received a call from my former wife, Carol. Navy officials had contacted her after they had failed to locate me. I cannot recall what I was thinking, or anything I said to my wife, Cindy, during the 20-minut drive to the air base, or what she said to me.

My mother greeted us as we entered the compartment. She was very composed, very matter-of-fact, as she informed me, “John, your father is dead.” My mother had dedicated her entire life to my father and his career. She loved him greatly. But she is a strong woman, indomitable. No loss, no matter how grievous, could undo her. I remember little of the five days between that moment and the morning we buried him at Arlington National Cemetery.

Spent nearly 23 years on active duty in the Navy

I left the funeral reception after an hour or so and drove to an office in a nondescript building in Crystal City, Virginia, with the typically bureaucratic title Navy Personnel Support Activity Center. There I signed my discharge papers, applied for my retirement pay and health coverage, and turned in my identification card, ending nearly 23 years on active duty. For the first time in the twentieth century, and possibly forever, the name John McCain was missing from navy rosters. From there, I drove to the airport and boarded a plane with Cindy and her parents for Phoenix, Arizona, and a new life altogether.

Survived as POW by faith to a higher cause

This is the faith that my commanders affirmed, that my brothers-in-arms encouraged my allegiance to. It was the faith I had unknowingly embraced at the Naval Academy. It was my father’s and grandfather’s faith. A filthy, crippled, broken man, all I had left of my dignity was the faith of my fathers. It was enough.

Refused release to hurt Vietnamese & remain loyal to POWs

Just letting me go is a propaganda victory for them. I can tell they really want me to go. And if they want something that much it’s got to be a bad thing. I can’t give them that satisfaction.

Second, I would be disloyal to the rest of you. I know why they’re doing this-to make every guy here whose father isn’t an admiral think the [Army’s Code of Conduct] is shit. They’ll tell all of you, “Your father’s not an admiral and nobody gives a damn about you.” And I don’t want to go home and see my father, and he wouldn’t want to see me under those conditions. I’ve got to say no.

Eventually, [the Vietnamese asked if I considered their release offer]. “What is your answer?” “No, thank you.” “Why?” “American prisoners cannot accept parole, or amnesty or special favors. We must be released in the order of our capture.. My final answer is no.”

Graduated 5th from bottom of Naval Academy class

“Profligate rake” during Academy and Junior Officer years

My behavior was not something that particularly worried my father. I believe he assumed that, like him, I would be absorbed into the traditions of the place whether I wished to or not, and that when the time arrived for me to face a real test of character, I would not disappoint him. He had seen many an officer who enjoyed the reputation of a rake-indeed, he had been one himself-rise to the occasion in the most dire situations. He expected no less from me.

Even as I spent my years as a junior officer in the same profligate manner I had spent my Academy years, I cannot recall his severely rebuking me. He knew I would fight, and I think he trusted me to do my duty when my moment arrived. I don’t know if I deserved his trust, but I am proud to have had it.

Voted with Republican Party 87.3% of 165 votes.

Vote based on character, not issues

Voted NO on confirming of Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court.

"In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make the law--it is to apply the law. And it is clear, I believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms; interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress's intent; and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and my Circuit Court. In each case I have heard, I have applied the law to the facts at hand."

Voted YES on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.

Voted YES on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Religious affiliation: Episcopalian.

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What’s an adherent?

Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

Member of the Republican Main Street Partnership .

The Republican Main Street Partnership was founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful leadership in the Republican Party, to serve as a voice for centrist Republicans and to partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share centrist values.

The Partnership pursues public policies that reflect a limited, but responsible role for government and that are designed to achieve fiscal responsibility, economic growth, improvements in the human condition and a nation that is globally competitive and secure. Partnership members include individuals who are interested in moderate Republican policies, focusing on governance and on finding common sense solutions to national problems.

The Republican Main Street Partnership is an organization of party members and public officials committed to building America's principled but pragmatic center within the Republican Party and throughout the nation. The Partnership contributes to the nation's governance through developing and promoting creative public policies for implementation at appropriate levels of government.

Rated 33% by the AU, a mixed record on church-state separation.

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 AU scores as follows:

• 0%- 20%: opposition to church-state separation (approx. 232 members)
• 21%- 79%: mixed record on church-state separation (approx. 79 members)
• 80%-100%: support of church-state separation (approx. 153 members)

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.