John McCain
Latest News on John McCain
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- Candidate Status:
- In
- Current Job:
- Senator from Arizona
- Birth Date:
- August 29, 1936 in Panama Canal Zone
- Family:
- Wife Cindy Hensley (1980 - present); ex-wife Carol Shepp (1965-1980); seven children
- Religion:
- Episcopalian
- Education:
- U.S. Naval Academy, B.S., 1958
National War College, 1973-74
- Career:
- John McCain is a four-term senator and former two-term U.S. representative from Arizona. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, but was defeated by current President Bush. McCain's work within the Congress has earned him a reputation as a reformer. He has not shied away from crossing the aisle, and has worked with Democrats in the past to sponsor legislation. Before entering politics, McCain was a pilot in the Navy (1958-1981). He spent five-and-a-half years as a Vietnamese prisoner of war at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," where he was placed in solitary confinement and tortured.
- Other facts:
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- McCain's Navy honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
- McCain and his 2nd wife adopted a daughter in 1993 from an orphanage in Bangladesh, run by Mother Teresa.
- Abortion:
- McCain believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned, and that the abortion question should be left to the individual states to legislate. He has called abortion a human tragedy, and believes community action can go far in "the fight for life" by promoting alternatives to abortion and providing expectant mothers with the necessary support.
- Energy/Environment:
- McCain is the chief co-sponsor of a bill that sets mandatory caps on greenhouse emissions. His plan would allow companies to trade excess carbon emission capacity, and would require emissions to return to 2004 levels by 2012 and to 1990 levels by 2020. McCain wants to see more investment in alternative-energy sources such as nuclear power, ethanol, fuel cells, bio-diesel, and natural gas. He believes ethanol will play a big part in energy independence.
- Immigration:
- McCain wants a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would improve border surveillance and enforcement, strengthen penalties against those who hire illegal immigrants, and stop document fraud. He wants to develop a guest worker program that allows illegal immigrants to earn legitimate status. McCain sponsored the 2006 comprehensive immigration reform bill. Had it passed, it would have allowed some illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes, and clearing a background check. McCain believes that securing the borders is one of the federal government's most important obligations.
- Iraq:
- McCain thinks Bush's strategy in Iraq can succeed, and that if the U.S. fails to stabilize Iraq now, the threat of terrorism against American interests will grow. McCain has strongly criticized Democrats who support a troop withdrawal timeline, but has also criticized the administration for mishandling the war. He says Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history.
- Taxes:
- McCain says tax cuts work best in conjunction with lower spending. He blames excessive spending for Republican losses in the 2006 elections. McCain was one of two Republican senators to oppose the 2001 tax cuts, arguing that too many of the benefits went to the most fortunate at the expense of the middle class. He also opposed the 2003 tax cuts. McCain says he would not raise taxes, but that he would not go as far as to sign a pledge to that effect. He believes a repeal of the estate tax isn't necessary.
