Senator John McCain, Republican Candidate for President, is a straight shooter.
If you don't believe it, just keep reading... And if you're still not convinced, look up his
Homepage… Or for a condensed version, just read his speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. It tells it all, from his Economic Policy to his War on Terror strategy. He even mentions one of my favorite presidents and fellow Missourians, President Harry Truman.
John McCain is unlike most politicians, in that he comes forward and announces when he thinks his party has made a mistake or is simply wrong on an issue. “I have always believed that our border must be secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility to ensure that it is secure.” John McCain. He is also unafraid to admit his wrongdoings. On the Anniversary of Dr. King's Death, speaking to the Southern Leadership Conference Group, standing outside Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination site, McCain honestly and humbly admitted to the following; “Even in this most idealistic of nations, we do not always take kindly to being reminded of what more we can do, or how much better we can be, or who else can be included in the promise of America. We can be slow as well to give greatness its due, a mistake I made myself long ago when I voted against a federal holiday in memory of Dr. King. I was wrong and eventually realized that, in time to give full support for a state holiday in Arizona. We can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing, and Dr. King understood this about his fellow Americans.”
He thinks for himself and doesn't let his party decide for him. John McCain is his own man. For this reason, he may sway voters from other parties with ease. I went to John McCain's site, with the intent of checking first there, for independent or democratic supporters (of which he has many), and the possibility of also finding every author's dream, the perfect quote, before looking further. I first clicked on supporters, linking me to a list an entire page long (both sides) of many known politicians of all parties, yet none of their parties are listed. After pausing a moment, I realized that I had not paid enough attention to McCain's sincerity. McCain has said, “Mo Udall and Barry Goldwater taught be to believe that we are Americans first and partisans second, and I want to be a President that honors their faith in us.” So, instead of adding any quotes from his many supporters and boasting their parties, suffice it to say that McCain has many supporters and even he doesn't distinguish between the two, so how dare I? Read ahead to see why many can't stop talking about McCain for President.
While many democrats, the primary running mates included, would have you believe that Republicans are eager for war, this is not necessarily so. The ravages of war weigh heavily on everyone's shoulders. Here's what McCain has to say on the subject. “I detest war.” John McCain, speaking to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. Furthermore, on McCain's site, you can find the following: “When nations seek to resolve their differences by force of arms, a million tragedies ensue. The lives of a nation's finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted; economies are damaged…Not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. Whatever gains are secured, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly. Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that is lost when war claims its wages from us.”
Still, McCain is not a naïve man. He understands that al Qaeda wages its war against us daily. Without our troops waging our war in Iraq, as well as in between the borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Somalia and Indonesia plus a sophisticated homeland security, we will be waging war on our own lands eventually. McCain knows our enemy well. He has the following to say on this subject, “I am an idealist, and I believe it is possible in our time to make the world we live in another, better, more peaceful place, where our interests and those of our allies are more secure, and American ideals that are transforming the world, the principles of free people and free markets, advance even farther than they have. But I am, from hard experience and the judgment it informs, a realistic idealist. I know we must work very hard and very creatively to build new foundations for a stable and enduring peace. We cannot wish the world to be a better place than it is. We have enemies for whom no attack is too cruel, and no innocent life safe, and who would, if they could, strike us with the world's most terrible weapons.”
Finally, I go back to my original statement that I staunchly stand by. McCain has proven himself to be an honest man. Even more welcoming, is the fact that he seems to have proven himself to be an opened- book politician. It also appears the majority of the American people agree. An interesting result in USA Today's Gallup Poll shows that 76% of Americans believe McCain to be honest and trustworthy vs. only 44% for Hillary Clinton. Americans seem to be questioning Hillary even more of late. If the presidency came down to these two, wouldn't it be interesting to change the election process of America just this once? Instead of voting in 2008, we could put both candidates to the test on this year's hottest new TV Show, “Moment of Truth.” Instead of our country's leader being determined by popular vote, this year's president would be chosen based on the level of truthfulness he or she displayed. Who would come out on top? With these final thoughts, I leave you to put the pieces of this kindergarten puzzle together.
Special thanks to one of my favorite three sisters, Heather Card, who gave me tremendous support until I hit my stride with this article. Then she proofread it for me, kicked ideas around with me via the telephone (from 2,000 miles away and way after our children had been in bed). In fact, it was so late by the time we had put the finishing touches on it, weweren't sure if it was hysterically funny, insanely witty, or if it fell completely flat; and maybewe were laughing hysterically, because we were just running on too little sleep, and it was way past our bed times. Still, we have decided to leave it just as it is because of one thing we are certain; the most important parts, the content regarding John McCain, the man, and any and all other research, is accurate. And that is what we care about most.
