John McCain

John McCain (born John S. McCain III, in 1936), Republican Senator from Arizona (1986- present), is a leading candidate for the Republican GOP presidential nomination in 2008. He was an underdog candidate in 2000 against George W. Bush, defeating Bush in the New Hampshire and other primaries, but Bush came back to easily win the nomination, and then went on to win the very close election.

McCain stands for civic duty and traditional conservative positions, especially regarding lower spending, lower taxes, opposition to abortion, and a strong foreign policy. Some conservatives complain about his longtime advocacy of campaign finance reforms that would weaken the power of special interest groups, saying they violate the First Amendment freedom of speech. Other conservatives object to his opposition to Bush's tax cuts in 2001, although McCain now supports their renewal. A former Navy captain who was shot down in the Vietnam War and spent over five years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, McCain has been a prominent voice on military and foreign affairs. He is especially outspoken in demanding forceful action in the Iraq war, and claims credit for the "surge" underway in 2007-8 under General David Petraeus.

McCain was the frontrunner for the 2008 presidential nomination according to the polls when his campaign imploded in summer 2007. He had spent all his money, direction was lacking, his staff was in turmoil, and most had to be terminated. McCain's standing fell sharply in the polls because of the unpopularity of his hardline Iraq position and his proposed bill (in cooperation with Bush and Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy) that would open a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Commentators wrote his obituary. But McCain fought back, using his drastically reduced funds to concentrate on a highly personal town-by-town "retail politics" campaign in the first primary state, New Hampshire. His main opponent Mitt Romney lost in the Iowa caucuses in early January, 2008, giving McCain momentum in New Hampshire. As supporters chanted "Mac is Back!" he defeated Romney 37%-32%, with Mike Huckabee trailing at 11%. McCain is now considered in the front rank, but a decision on the presidential nomination will not come before Feb. 5, when contests will be held in 24 states. It is possible the nomination will not be decided until the Republican national convention in early September.

For daily update on the polls see [2]

Family

McCain was born August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone (then part of the U.S.), where his father was stationed in the Navy. His grandfather John S. McCain, Sr. was a three-star admiral in charge of naval aviation at the battle of Okinawa in 1945. His father John S. McCain, Jr., was a four-star admiral who headed the Pacific Command, with overall responsibility for the Vietnam war, at a time when his son was prisoner.

McCain was married to Carol Shepp (1965-1980); she was the daughter of a wealthy beer distributor in Phoenix. They had one daughter Sidney (1966), and divorced in 1980. McCain married Cindy Hensley (May 17, 1980 - present); their children are Bridget, 1991 (adopted from Bangladesh, 1992); Jimmy, 1988; Jack, 1986; Meghan, 1984. His adopted sons from Carol's previous marriage are Andy, 1962, and Doug, 1959. His religion is Episcopalian.

Military career

McCain was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis (1958, B.S. in engineering), where his multiple demerits put him near the bottom. He attended the prestigious National War College (1973-74).

Prisoner of war

During Lt. Commander McCain's 23rd bombing mission on October 26, 1967, a Soviet-built missile struck his A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bomber and forced him to eject, knocking him unconscious and breaking both his arms and his leg. As a prisoner of war at the "Hanoi Hilton," he was denied necessary medical treatment and often beaten by the North Vietnamese. He still has a limp and disabilities in the arms. Once the Vietnamese discovered his father's identity they offered to release him, but he refused and was finally freed in January, 1973, with all the other American prisoners.

Congress

McCain returned to the U.S. in 1973 and was assigned a command in naval aviation. He was transferred to Washington where he was promoted to captain and was a Navy lobbyist on Capitol Hill, 1977-81. He retired from the Navy in 1980 and moved to Arizona. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1982 from Phoenix, and then to the U.S. Senate in 1986, as a Republican. He was reelected in 1992, 1998, and 2004, and rose to chair the Armed Services Committee when the GOP was in power; since the Democrats took control of the Senate after the 2006 elections, he is now the ranking minority member. He sits on all subcommittees. He also has chaired the Indian Affairs committee (1995-97 and 2005-6), which broke the scandals tied to Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

2000 election

He was defeated by George W. Bush for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000, after winning the New Hampshire primary by 18 points, and losing an extraordinarily bitter contest in South Carolina.

By 2004 he had become so popular among Democrats that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry offered him the nomination for vice president, which he declined.

2008 election

McCain announced his candidacy Nov. 16, 2006, and immediately leaped into first place in the polls.

see 2008 United States presidential election

Bibliography

• Barone, Michael. The Almanac of American Politics: 2008 (2007)
• Timberg, Robert. John McCain: An American Odyssey (2007) excerpt and text search

Primary sources

• McCain, John. Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them (2007) with Mark Salter
• McCain, John. Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life (2004) with Mark Salter excerpt and text search
• McCain, John. Worth the Fighting for: A Memoir (2002) with Mark Salter excerpt and text search
• McCain, John. Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir (2000) with Mark Salter excerpt and text search

External links

• official McCain for President website
• official Senator McCain website
• CNN profile