Compare candidates' careers, education and politics

From the issue dated November 16, 2007 Obama, Once a Leader at Harvard Law, Is Now a Favorite of Academe Related materials Dead Bear Covered in Obama Signs Found at Western Carolina U. A local businessman offers a $500 reward for information on whoever killed the animal and left it on the campus. Student Leaders Face Recall For Favoring Measure to Ban Gay Marriage The American River College Student Government voted 8 to 3 last month in favor of Proposition 8, a measure seeking to ban same-sex marriage in California. Article: An Interview With Barack Obama: 'The Most Important Skill Is Knowledge' Article tools Printer friendly E-mail article Subscribe Order reprints Discuss any Chronicle article in our forums Latest Headlines Job Market: Optimism, Tempered by Worries A look at employment prospects at universities for Ph.D.'s in selected disciplines reveals reasons for anxiety but some pockets of hope. Community Colleges Are Key to 'Green' Jobs, Speakers Say How Video Games Can Help in the Classroom and Beyond Fraternity Members Walk a Mile in Women's Shoes Wiki-Inevitability, and Other Entirely Predictable Reports Commentary Stephen Joel Trachtenberg: Want Tenure? Sign on the Dotted Line By SARA HEBEL One of the early tests of Barack Obama's political skills came when he was a law student at Harvard University in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gaining the support of both progressive and conservative editors, Mr. Obama was selected as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He had decided to seek the post believing that he might help ease ideological tensions at the journal even as the campus was embroiled in divisive doctrinal and political debates over issues like faculty diversity. The uproar included the protests of Derrick A. Bell Jr., the first black professor to win tenure at the law school, who took an unpaid leave of absence and eventually resigned over the lack of a tenured black woman on its faculty. In the midst of those battles, Mr. Obama presided over difficult debates among intellectuals with wildly different and intensely held views. Yet he was able to set an amicable tone at the journal, according to Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a Harvard law professor who taught Mr. Obama and served as his mentor. Mr. Ogletree and others who have known Mr. Obama, now a U.S. senator from Illinois, say his record at Harvard provides an indication of how he might govern as president. The editors of the law journal "saw him as a coalescing force around which they could come together and do high-quality work," Mr. Ogletree says. "He was able to gently steer them without anyone feeling compromised or undermined in their views." At the same time that he brought people together, Mr. Obama, the son of a black father, from Kenya, and a white mother, from Kansas, also held fast to his own beliefs, Mr. Ogletree adds. For instance, he publicly supported Mr. Bell's quest for diversity at Harvard, likening the importance of the professor's stand to that of Rosa Parks. 'Friends' on campuses Mr. Obama, 46, is often described as professorial in style, apt to delve into the complexities of topics and more adept at engaging in lengthy policy discussions than in producing sound bites. In fact, he has worked in college classrooms, serving since 1993 as a senior lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago (he is now on leave from that job). In many ways, the Democrat has become the darling of higher education among the presidential candidates. College employees donated nearly $2.2-million to Mr. Obama as of September 30, more money than they gave to any other contender for the White House, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit group. He also has a strong following among youth, attracting more than three times as many supporters on Facebook and almost 30 percent more "friends" on MySpace than the next-closest competitor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, reports TechPresident, a blog that monitors how the 2008 presidential candidates are using the Web. The online social-networking sites are popular among college students and recent graduates. William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University, a private, historically black institution, is among Mr. Obama's top donors from academe. He and his wife, Norma, have given $4,600 to the senator's presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Mr. Harvey, who held a fund-raising lunch at his home for Mr. Obama this summer, likes the senator's policy stances, especially his support for more money for science, engineering, and technology programs at historically black colleges, for federal research, and for improving teacher training. Mr. Obama, the college president says, is a candidate "who can clearly bridge many divides and can bring people together: men and women, young and old, black and white, haves and have nots, Democrats and Republicans." He says close to one-third of the 125 attendees at his lunch, who paid at least $1,000 per person, were Republicans. Congressional Record Before Mr. Obama enrolled at Harvard, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Columbia University in 1983 and worked as a community organizer for a church-based group in Chicago. After earning his law degree, in 1991, he returned to Chicago, where he practiced civil-rights law before winning a seat in the Illinois State Senate, serving for eight years. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. In Congress he has sought to expand access to college by pressing for an increase in the maximum Pell Grant and introducing a bill that would allow financially needy high-school students with no access to Advanced Placement courses to apply for federal aid to attend community-college classes. "Higher education is the long-term solution to reversing the income disparities that have stretched the middle class to the breaking point," Mr. Obama said in a Chronicle interview conducted via e-mail. "We must increase access." The senator also touts an idea he pressed, a version of which was included in the Senate bill to renew the Higher Education Act, that would put more emphasis on providing mentors to new teachers as a way to improve their training. To help finance his education priorities, Mr. Obama supports cutting banks out of the student-loan system, thereby eliminating billions of dollars in government subsidies to private lenders. Some public-policy analysts have praised that proposal (also advocated by other Democrats), saying it would help reduce inefficiencies in the student-loan system. Private lenders oppose the idea, arguing that interest rates would rise under a government-run student-loan monopoly. On the campaign trail, Mr. Obama last week announced a broad plan that he said would help working families "reclaim the American dream." One way to do so, he said, is to make it easier for them to attend college. He proposed creating a tax credit, worth up to $4,000 per year, for tuition. The credit would be refundable, so people would benefit even if their incomes were too low for them to owe taxes. The senator also advocated a Community College Partnership Program, which would help the institutions determine how they could expand degree programs and technical training to better prepare students for jobs in emerging fields in their communities. The program also would reward colleges that increased the number of students they graduate. During his campaigning last month, Mr. Obama jumped into a contentious debate over immigration. He urged California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, to sign legislation that would have made some illegal immigrants eligible for the state's need-based aid program. The governor vetoed the measure. Support for Affirmative Action Over time, Mr. Obama has also been a consistent supporter of affirmative action. Last year he recorded a radio ad that urged Michigan voters to reject Proposal 2, a ballot measure to prevent public colleges and other state agencies from operating programs that grant preferences based on race, ethnicity, or gender. Voters approved the ban. As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama has reiterated his support for colleges' use of racial preferences in admissions. But, he says, colleges should also expand educational opportunities among financially needy students of all ethnicities. "To suggest that our racial attitudes play no part in the socioeconomic disparities that we often observe turns a blind eye to both our history and our experience, and relieves us of the responsibility to make things right," Mr. Obama wrote via e-mail. At the same time, he added, "we should work to build an America where the qualified white student from rural South Carolina who worked hard to beat the odds, and the qualified black student from the South Side of Chicago who did the same, can attend classes together, learn from each other, teach their classmates a thing or two and vice versa, and together go off into the world prepared for a diverse work force." In a May interview, George Stephanopoulos, of ABC News, asked Mr. Obama whether the senator's two daughters should benefit from affirmative action when the time comes for them to go to college. Mr. Obama responded by saying they "should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged." Ward Connerly, a critic of affirmative action who led efforts to get Proposal 2 on the Michigan ballot, praised Mr. Obama for that response. He called it a "fairly bold statement" and said it demonstrated that the senator understands the nuances of the issue. A 'Professor President' Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's penchant for seeking out many views, including from those with whom he disagrees, has brought criticism to his campaign. For instance, he has said that as president he would sit down with controversial world leaders, such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, in an effort to shore up America's leadership by negotiating with friends and foes alike. Both Republicans and fellow Democrats harshly criticized that approach to foreign policy. Ms. Clinton, who is leading in current polls for the Democratic nomination for president, called Mr. Obama's position "naïve and irresponsible." Mr. Obama's supporters, though, say his stance is evidence of the open-minded, intellectual approach he would take to the presidency. As he demonstrated at Harvard, Mr. Obama's strengths as a leader include his ability to engage people who hold various viewpoints, scrutinize their ideas, and forge rational solutions, says John K. Wilson, a student of Mr. Obama's at Chicago who recently wrote Barack Obama: This Improbable Quest (Paradigm). "In the best sense of the word," Mr. Wilson says, "he would be a professor president." Results for John McCain On this page: Select Article Who2 Biography Biography Britannica Concise Columbia Ency. Wikipedia Citations --------------- Or search: - The Web - Images - News - Blogs - Shopping Who2 Biography: John McCain, U.S. Senator Sponsored LinksJohn McCain for President Join John McCain's Team and Contribute Today! Thank You JohnMcCain.com/Contribute John McCain Go To AARP For News About John McCain's Presidential Campaign AARP.org Source Born: 29 August 1936 Birthplace: Panama Canal Zone Best Known As: The 2008 Republican candidate for president John McCain is the Republican nominee for president in 2008. McCain has been a U.S. senator from Arizona since 1987. A 1958 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain had a 22-year military career as a pilot and officer in the Navy. Five of those years (1967-73) were spent in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp after he was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War. McCain left the Navy in 1981, was elected to Congress in 1982, and then was elected as U.S. senator from Arizona in 1986. In 2000 he ran for the Republican presidential nomination, but was defeated by George W. Bush. After Bush was reelected in 2004, McCain ran again for the Republican nomination in 2008, this time winning the nomination at the GOP convention. He named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, and they are running against Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Joe Biden. McCain's 1999 book Faith of My Fathers told the story of his family's military history and his own experiences as a POW. McCain's father and grandfather were both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy... He had surgery to remove melanomas (skin lesions) in 1993 and 2000 and minor prostate surgery in August of 2001... McCain was married to the former Carol Shepp from 1965-1980. A month after their divorce, he married Cindy Hensley, the daughter of a prominent Arizona liquor distributor. He has seven children: sons Doug Shepp and Andy Shepp (adopted during his marriage to their mother, Carol Shepp), Sydney McCain (his daughter with Carol Shepp), and Meghan McCain, John Sidney McCain IV, James McCain, and Bridget McCain, all with Cindy McCain. Bridget McCain was born in Bangladesh and adopted in 1993 by the McCains. WebNewsImagesShoppingPage Tools ▼ Print this page Send to friend Translate this pagePersonalize Library Animal Life Business and Finance Entertainment and Arts Food and Cooking Health History, Politics and Society Home and Garden Law and Legal Issues Literature and Language Miscellaneous Religion and Spirituality Science Shopping Sports Technology Travel See All... Biography: John Sidney McCain, III United States Republican Senator John S. McCain III (born 1936) truly came to the public's attention with his failed bid for the presidential primary nomination against George W. Bush in 2000. Once in the spotlight, many found the blunt and feisty Vietnam War veteran's candor refreshing. Known for his bipartisan collaborative efforts in the Senate, McCain was equally bipartisan in his criticism. To the Navy Born McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. He was one of three children born to John S. McCain Jr. and his wife, Roberta. McCain's father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy, the first father and son serving at that rank in naval history. Quick to anger even as a toddler, McCain used to hold his breath until he passed out when thwarted. After bouncing from school to school in the tradition of a child of a military family, McCain was sent to high school at the elite Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. There, his temper remained short and repeated discipline appeared wasted on him. "I thank God every day there weren't drugs around when I was growing up," he told Jonathan Alter of Newsweek. Despite his best efforts, McCain graduated from Episcopal High in 1954. After graduation McCain went off to follow the family trade at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. However, the storied disciplinary effect of military school had little effect on the rambunctious young man. He continued to push the buttons and limits of his superiors, accumulating an impressive number of demerits for small infractions and barely squeaking by academically to graduate in the bottom five of his class in 1958. Even after being accepted to train as a naval aviator, McCain was irrepressible and irresponsible, ditching one airplane into Corpus Christi Bay and flying another so low in Spain that he managed to cut power lines and deprive part of the country of electricity for a time. For all his wild behavior, though, McCain also displayed a strength of character beyond his years. He refused to participate in hazing rituals at Annapolis, for instance, later explaining to Alter, "I just thought it had become too demeaning." Instead, he did not suffer bullies gladly, defending underclassmen and other victims alike in his typical bellicose fashion. As a young navy pilot, McCain was in his element. "I enjoyed shooting rockets and dropping bombs and shooting off guns," he recalled to Esquire's Charles P. Pierce. "Nobody in their right mind wouldn't enjoy that. . . . You're a young, single guy, and you go out and you fly for a couple of weeks, then you come in for a week and carouse. . . . Nobody deserves to get paid for that." He gave up the single part of the equation in 1965, when he married Carol Shepp and adopted her two children (the couple later had a child of their own, too), but the lure of adventure was more difficult to abandon. So McCain volunteered for service in Vietnam. Vietnam In June of 1967, McCain (by then a lieutenant commander) set out for Vietnam from Norfolk, Virginia aboard the USS Forrestal. The carrier was in the Gulf of Tonkin on July 29, its crew preparing for the second launch of the fifth day of striking enemy targets in North Vietnam, when one of its own bombs detonated on deck. McCain narrowly escaped the resulting conflagration that killed 132 crewmen, with two others missing and presumed dead, and injured 62 more. It was one of the worst military accidents of the war. A little less than three months later, on October 26, McCain was making his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his plane was hit by an antiaircraft missile. Forced to eject, breaking both arms and a leg in the process, he landed in a lake near Hanoi and was captured. He spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner of war (POW) at the sarcastically nicknamed "Hanoi Hilton." Injured and ill, McCain was denied medical assistance until his captors learned that he was an admiral's son, and even then treatment was rudimentary. His father's position also prompted the North Vietnamese to offer him early release in June of 1968. McCain refused, as the U.S. Military Code of Conduct required that prisoners accept release on a first in/first out basis, and there were more than 100 POWs ahead of him. His refusal resulted in a round of torture that included knocking his teeth out, hanging him by his broken arms, and beating him almost around the clock for a week. Although the abuse never succeeded in convincing McCain to accept early release, he did break down and sign a confession that he was a "black criminal" and an "air pirate." The shame of the confession led McCain to contemplate suicide at the time, and stayed with him years after the fact. "The only thing I can say is that the code says you will resist to the best of your ability," he told Pierce in 1998. "But I failed myself. I failed my fellow prisoners. I failed my family, and I failed my country. Is there anybody else?" Most did not judge McCain as harshly as he judged himself; many, indeed, found his ongoing determination to remain in prison heroic. He was finally released on March 14, 1973, and returned home with a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Began Anew The seven years following McCain's homecoming were uneven. He advanced professionally, attending the National War College in Washington, D.C. and receiving a promotion to captain in 1977. 1977 also saw his appointment as the Navy's liaison to the U.S. Senate, a position that laid the groundwork for his political ambitions. His personal life, however, was less than stellar. Carousing, womanizing, and a poor choice of companions led to some unsavory episodes, and ultimately resulted in a divorce from his first wife in 1980. Candid about this period in his life, McCain explained to Pierce, "One of the reasons I've been reluctant to judge other people is that I've had so many failures of my own. I failed when I was in prison. I failed in my [first] marriage. I think that if there are any benefits from my failure, it's to realize that other people fail, too." McCain's life began to get back on the right track after his 1980 marriage to Cindy Lou Hensley, daughter of a prosperous Arizona beer distributor. He retired from the Navy the following year, and the newlyweds moved to Arizona to embark on McCain's new career. In 1982, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Republican. A longtime admirer of then - President Ronald Reagan, McCain generally embraced the party line for his two terms in the House. In 1985, he was elected to the Senate seat vacated by retiring elder statesman Barry Goldwater. And before too long, McCain began to make waves. Maverick Politician The freshman senator was appointed to various committees, including the Armed Services Committee and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (which he went on to chair). Among the early issues he embraced were veterans' rights and the push to normalize relations with Vietnam (on which he joined forces with Democratic Senator and fellow war hero John Kerry, and which was finally realized in July of 1995). McCain suffered an early embarrassing setback in 1989 when he was investigated, along with four other senators, regarding political contribution improprieties involving Charles Keating, who ended up in jail over one of the biggest savings and loans scandals ever. McCain was the only one of the five to be absolved of any wrongdoing except "poor judgment," and the experience engendered his championing the issue of campaign finance reform (also eventually attained, with Democratic support, in 2002). McCain was reelected to the Senate for two more terms in the 1990s. During those years, his blunt approach, sharp temper, and unwillingness to toe the party line caused consternation among fellow Republicans. Then in 1999, he threw his hat into the ring for the 2000 Republican presidential primary and his singular style gained a much broader audience. Though McCain failed in his bid for the nomination against George W. Bush, many people from both political parties found his straight talk and disarming candor (complete with gaffes) refreshing. Indeed, McCain's popularity was such that he became one of the few senators that gained a national constituency. After his loss, the newly high - profile senator from Arizona went on ruffling feathers. Former Democratic state representative Tom Vallely told Pierce, " . . . it's [McCain's] instincts. John's not a chess player, I don't think. He's more intuitive, because he has no political fear." McCain mastered the art of bipartisan politics in order to get things accomplished (as with the campaign financial reform bill) and dismissed those who criticized him for it. "Much to my surprise, me stating that John Kerry and I are friends upsets some people very much. That you can't even be friends with a politician in an opposing party really shows how much things have changed," he told David Kronke of the Los Angeles Daily News. "Somehow, even to praise someone of another party is an anathema and an act of betrayal." Such critics as conservative activist and president of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist remained unappeased. He told Mark Leibovich of the Washington Post, "[McCain] ought to not be allowed near sharp objects or legislation." Future Goals The 2004 presidential election and its aftermath did little to change the minds of McCain's detractors or supporters. While he supported Bush's reelection and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, McCain once again did not keep within the Republican tenets. For instance, he defended Bush opponent John Kerry's Vietnam War record when it came under attack during the campaign, and strongly disagreed with the president's backing of a constitutional amendment barring same - sex marriage. He also maintained his determined opposition to pork barrel spending. Nor was McCain reticent about his misgivings about Secretary Defense Donald Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq, telling the Associated Press, as quoted by the Newark Star - Ledger, that he had "no confidence" in Rumsfeld's leadership. In short, McCain remained McCain. McCain was reelected to a fourth term in the Senate in 2004. There was, once again, talk of another run for the presidency in 2008. But at 68, the senator was non-committal. He told Leibovich "I want to keep a reputation which makes young people come up to me and say, 'I admire you, Senator McCain,' rather than being some old political hack who keeps running for president." By 2005, McCain had also written three books, including 2004's Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life. But that was not to say that he intended to alter his forthright style or slow down in any particular way. "This is all so transient," he told Leibovich. "It could all end tomorrow. My philosophy is just to go, go like hell. Like Teddy Roosevelt did it. Full - bore." McCain summed himself up even more succinctly to Kronke: "I'll keep fighting." Books Newsmakers 1998, Issue 4. Gale Group, 1998. Periodicals Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), August 25, 2004. Esquire, May 1998. Independent (London, England), January 1, 2000. Newsweek, November 15, 1999; February 14, 2000. New York Times, October 20, 2002. Star - Ledger (Newark, NJ), December 13, 2004; December 14, 2004. Online "McCain, John Sidney, III," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress,http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M00303 (January 5, 2005). "McCain: Same - sex Marriage Ban is Un - Republican," CNN,http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/mccain.marriage (July 14, 2004). "Pedal to the Metal," Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp - dyn/A19085-2004May11?language=printer (May 12, 2004). "Senator John S. McCain (AZ)," Project Vote Smart,http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can - id=S0061103 (January 5, 2005). "Senator John S. McCain III Biography," Vietnam War,http://www.vietnamwar.com/JohnMcCainBio.htm (January 5, 2005). "USS Forrestal (CVA 59)," United States Navy, http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/histories/cv59-forrestal.html (January 6, 2005). Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: John McCain (born Aug. 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone) Politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1983 – 87) and the U.S. Senate (1987 – ). McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. A navy pilot during the Vietnam War, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was held as a prisoner of war until 1973. In 1982 he was elected to the Congress of the United States; he served first as a representative from Arizona and then as a senator from that state. Though a member of the Republican Party, he has taken independent stances on many issues and is known particularly for his support of campaign finance reform. In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination. After a fitful start amid a crowded field of potential candidates, McCain emerged as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in 2008. For more information on John McCain, visit Britannica.com. Columbia Encyclopedia: McCain, John Sidney, 3d, 1936–, U.S. politician, b. Panama Canal Zone. A much decorated navy veteran, he was born into a career naval family and attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1958. He became a pilot and during the Vietnam War was shot down over Hanoi (1967) and captured; he was released in 1973. Retiring as a highly decorated captain in 1981, he was elected (1982) as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona and served two terms. In 1986 he first won election to the U.S. Senate. A personally appealing leader with generally conservative views, he is noted for his bluff honesty, quick wit, and outspoken manner. McCain has been particularly active in attempting to forge a bipartisan coalition for campaign-finance reform and, in 2005, for banning cruel and inhuman treatment of any prisoner in U.S. custody. McCain announced his candidacy for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination in 1999 but was defeated in the primaries by George W. Bush; in 2007 he officially became a candidate for the 2008 presidential nomination. He has chaired the Senate committee on Indian affairs (1995–97, 2005–7) and on commerce, science, and transportation (1995–2001, 2003–5). McCain also has written several books on history's great leaders, e.g., Hard Call (2007). Bibliography See his memoirs, Faith of My Fathers (2000) and Worth the Fighting For (2002); E. Drew, Citizen McCain (2002); P. Alexander, Man of the People (2002). Wikipedia: John McCain "McCain" redirects here. For other uses, see McCain (disambiguation). John McCain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Senator from Arizona Incumbent Assumed office January 3, 1987 Serving with Jon Kyl Preceded by Barry Goldwater -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st district In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987 Preceded by John Jacob Rhodes Jr. Succeeded by John Jacob Rhodes III -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Born August 29, 1936 (1936-08-29) (age 72) Coco Solo Naval Air Station, Panama Canal Zone, Panama Nationality American Political party Republican Spouse Carol Shepp (m. 1965, div. 1980) Cindy Lou Hensley (m. 1980) Children Douglas (b. 1959, adopted 1966), Andrew (b. 1962, adopted 1966), Sidney (b. 1966), Meghan (b. 1984), John Sidney IV "Jack" (b. 1986), James "Jimmy" (b. 1988), Bridget (b. 1991, adopted 1993) Alma mater United States Naval Academy Profession Naval aviator, Politician Religion Southern Baptist congregant (Brought up Episcopalian)[1] Signature Website U.S. Senator John McCain: Arizona More detailed articles about John McCain: Early life and military career House and Senate career, 1982–2000 2000 presidential campaign Senate career, 2001–present 2008 presidential campaign Cultural and political image Political positions McCain at Annapolis, c. 1954John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 presidential election. McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he nearly lost his life in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. In October 1967, while on a bombing mission over Hanoi, he was shot down, badly injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973, experiencing episodes of torture and refusing an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer; his war wounds left him with lifelong physical limitations. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981, moved to Arizona, and entered politics. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, he served two terms, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, winning re-election easily in 1992, 1998, and 2004. While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain at times has had a media reputation as a "maverick" for having disagreed with his party. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the "Keating Five," he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually led to the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act in 2002. He is also known for his work towards restoring diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s, and for his belief that the war in Iraq should be fought to a successful conclusion. McCain has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee, has opposed spending that he considered to be pork barrel, and played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations. McCain lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008. McCain was formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in September 2008, together with his chosen running mate from Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin. Contents [hide] 1 Early life and military career, 1936–1981 1.1 Formative years and education 1.2 Naval training, first marriage, and Vietnam assignment 1.3 Prisoner of war 1.4 Commanding officer, liaison to Senate, and second marriage 2 House and Senate elections and career, 1982–2000 2.1 U.S. Congressman and a growing family 2.2 First two terms in U.S. Senate 2.3 Start of third term in the U.S. Senate 3 2000 presidential campaign 4 Senate career after 2000 4.1 Remainder of third Senate term 4.2 Fourth Senate term 5 2008 presidential campaign 6 Political positions 7 Cultural and political image 8 Writings by McCain 8.1 Books 8.2 Articles and forewords 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External links Early life and military career, 1936–1981 Main article: Early life and military career of John McCain Formative years and education John McCain was born in 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, Panama, to naval officer John S. McCain, Jr. (1911–1981) and Roberta (Wright) McCain (b. 1912).[2] At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.[3] McCain has Scots-Irish, Anglo-Irish and English ancestry.[4] His father and his paternal grandfather both became four-star United States Navy admirals.[5] His family, including his older sister Sandy and younger brother Joe,[2] followed his father to various naval postings in the United States and the Pacific.[6] Altogether, he attended about 20 schools.[7] In 1951, the family settled in Northern Virginia, and McCain attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria.[8] He excelled at wrestling and graduated in 1954.[9] Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. There, he was a friend and informal leader for many of his classmates,[10] and sometimes stood up for targets of bullying.[5] He also became a lightweight boxer.[11] McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel, he did not always obey the rules, and that contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899), despite a high IQ.[10][12] He did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he struggled with, such as mathematics.[5][13] McCain graduated in 1958.[10] Naval training, first marriage, and Vietnam assignment McCain's pre-combat duty began when he was commissioned an ensign, and started two and a half years of training at Pensacola as a naval aviator.[14] While there, he earned a reputation as a partying man.[7] He completed flight school in 1960, and became a naval pilot of ground-attack aircraft, assigned to A-1 Skyraider squadrons[15] aboard the aircraft carriers USS Intrepid and USS Enterprise[16] in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas.[17] McCain began as a sub-par flier[17] who was at times careless and reckless;[18] during the early-to-mid 1960s, the planes he was flying crashed twice and once collided with power lines, but he received no major injuries.[18] His aviation skills improved over time,[17] and he was seen as a good pilot, albeit one who tended to "push the envelope" in his flying.[18] On July 3, 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, a model originally from Philadelphia.[19] McCain adopted her two young children Douglas and Andrew.[16][20] He and Carol then had a daughter named Sidney.[21][22] McCain requested a combat assignment,[23] and was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal flying A-4 Skyhawks.[24] His combat duty began when he was 30 years old, in summer 1967, when Forrestal was assigned to a bombing campaign, Operation Rolling Thunder, during the Vietnam War.[19][25] McCain and his fellow pilots became frustrated by micromanagement from Washington, and he would later write that "In all candor, we thought our civilian commanders were complete idiots who didn't have the least notion of what it took to win the war."[26][25] By then a lieutenant commander, McCain was almost killed on July 29, 1967, when he was near the center of the Forrestal fire. He escaped from his burning jet and was trying to help another pilot escape when a bomb exploded;[27] McCain was struck in the legs and chest by fragments.[28] The ensuing fire killed 134 sailors and took 24 hours to control.[29][30] With the Forrestal out of commission, McCain volunteered for assignment with the USS Oriskany, another aircraft carrier employed in Operation Rolling Thunder.[31] Once there, he would be awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star for missions flown over North Vietnam.[32] Prisoner of war John McCain's capture and subsequent imprisonment began on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi.[33][34] McCain fractured both arms and a leg, and nearly drowned when he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake.[33] Some North Vietnamese pulled him ashore, then others crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt and bayoneted him.[33] McCain was then transported to Hanoi's main Hoa Lo Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".[34] McCain being pulled from Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi[35] on October 26, 1967Although McCain was badly wounded, his captors refused to treat his injuries, beating and interrogating him to get information; he was given medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral.[36] His status as a prisoner of war (POW) made the front pages of major newspapers.[37][38] McCain spent six weeks in the hospital while receiving marginal care.[33] By then having lost 50 pounds (23 kg), in a chest cast, and with his hair turned white,[33] McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi[39] in December 1967, into a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live a week.[40] In March 1968, McCain was put into solitary confinement, where he would remain for two years.[41] In mid–1968, John S. McCain, Jr. was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater, and the North Vietnamese offered McCain early release[42] because they wanted to appear merciful for propaganda purposes,[43] and also to show other POWs that elite prisoners were willing to be treated preferentially.[42] McCain turned down the offer; he would only accept repatriation if every man taken in before him was released as well. Such early release was prohibited by the POW's interpretation of the military Code of Conduct: To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured.[33] In August 1968, a program of severe torture began on McCain.[44] He was subjected to rope bindings and repeated beatings every two hours, at the same time as he was suffering from dysentery.[33][44] Further injuries led to the beginning of a suicide attempt, stopped by guards.[33] After four days, McCain made an anti-American propaganda "confession".[33] He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he later wrote, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine."[45][46] Many American POWs were tortured and maltreated in order to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements;[47] virtually all of them eventually yielded something to their captors.[48] He subsequently received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.[49] Former prison officials have denied that American POWs were tortured,[50] which contradicts prisoners' personal experiences.[51] Interview with McCain on April 24, 1973, after his return homeMcCain refused to meet with various anti-war groups seeking peace in Hanoi, wanting to give neither them nor the North Vietnamese a propaganda victory.[52] From late 1969 onward, treatment of McCain and many of the other POWs became more tolerable,[53] while McCain continued actively to resist the camp authorities.[54] McCain and other prisoners cheered the U.S. "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972, viewing it as a forceful measure to push North Vietnam to terms.[46][55] Altogether, McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. He was released on March 14, 1973.[56] His wartime injuries left McCain permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head.[57] Commanding officer, liaison to Senate, and second marriage McCain's return to the United States reunited him with his family. His wife Carol had suffered her own crippling ordeal due to an automobile accident in December 1969.[58] McCain became a celebrity of sorts, as a returned POW.[58] McCain underwent treatment for his injuries, including months of grueling physical therapy,[59] and attended the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. during 1973–1974.[60] Having been rehabilitated, by late 1974, McCain had his flight status reinstated, and in 1976 he became commanding officer of a training squadron stationed in Florida.[58][61] He improved the unit's flight readiness and safety records,[62] and won the squadron its first-ever Meritorious Unit Commendation.[61] During this period in Florida, McCain had extramarital affairs, and the McCains' marriage began to falter, for which he later would accept blame.[63][64] McCain served as the Navy's liaison to the U.S. Senate beginning in 1977.[65] In retrospect, he has said that this represented his "real entry into the world of politics and the beginning of my second career as a public servant."[58] His key behind-the-scenes role gained congressional financing for a new supercarrier against the wishes of the Carter administration.[59][66] In April 1979,[59] McCain met Cindy Lou Hensley, a teacher from Phoenix, Arizona, whose father had founded a large beer distributorship.[64] They began dating, and he urged his wife Carol to grant him a divorce, which she did in February 1980, with the uncontested divorce taking effect in April 1980.[20][59] The settlement included two houses, and financial support for her ongoing medical treatments due to her 1969 car accident; they would remain on good terms.[64] McCain and Hensley were married on May 17, 1980, with Senators William Cohen and Gary Hart attending as groomsmen.[64][19] McCain’s children did not attend, and several years would pass before they reconciled.[59][22] John and Cindy McCain entered into a prenuptial agreement that kept most of her family's assets under her name; they would always keep their finances apart and file separate income tax returns.[67] McCain decided to leave the Navy. It was doubtful whether he would ever be promoted to the rank of full admiral, as he had poor annual physicals and had been given no major sea command.[68] His chances of being promoted to rear admiral were better, but McCain declined that prospect, as he had already made plans to run for Congress and said he could "do more good there."[69][70] McCain retired from the Navy on April 1, 1981[71] as a captain.[32] He was designated as disabled and awarded a disability pension.[72] Upon leaving the military, he moved to Arizona. His 17 military awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal, for actions before, during, and after his time as a POW.[32] House and Senate elections and career, 1982–2000 Main article: House and Senate career of John McCain, 1982–2000 See also: Electoral history of John McCain U.S. Congressman and a growing family McCain set his sights on becoming a Congressman because he was interested in current events, was ready for a new challenge, and had developed political ambitions during his time as Senate liaison.[64][73][74] Living in Phoenix, he went to work for Hensley & Co., his new father-in-law Jim Hensley's large Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship.[64] As Vice President of Public Relations at the distributorship, he gained political support among the local business community, meeting powerful figures such as banker Charles Keating, Jr., real estate developer Fife Symington III and newspaper publisher Darrow "Duke" Tully.[75][65] In 1982, McCain ran as a Republican for an open seat in Arizona's 1st congressional district.[76] A newcomer to the state, McCain was hit with repeated charges of being a carpetbagger.[64] McCain responded to a voter making that charge with what a Phoenix Gazette columnist would later describe as "the most devastating response to a potentially troublesome political issue I've ever heard":[64] "Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi."[64][77] With the assistance of local political endorsements, his Washington connections, as well as money that his wife lent to his campaign,[65] McCain won a highly contested primary election.[64] He then easily won the general election in the heavily Republican district.[64] In 1983, McCain was elected to lead the incoming group of Republican representatives.[64] Also that year, he opposed creation of a federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but admitted in 2008: "I was wrong and eventually realized that, in time to give full support [in 1990] for a state holiday in Arizona."[78][79] McCain's politics at this point were mainly in line with President Ronald Reagan, including support for Reaganomics, and he was active on Indian Affairs bills.[80] He supported most aspects of the foreign policy of the Reagan administration, including its hardline stance against the Soviet Union and policy towards Central American conflicts, including U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua.[80] McCain opposed keeping U.S. Marines deployed in Lebanon citing unattainable objectives, and subsequently criticized President Reagan for pulling out the troops too late; in the interim, the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing killed hundreds.[81][64] McCain won re-election to the House easily in 1984.[64] In 1984 McCain and his wife Cindy had their first child together, daughter Meghan. She was followed two years later by son John Sidney McCain IV (known as "Jack"), and in 1988 by son James ("Jimmy").[82] In 1991, Cindy McCain brought an abandoned three-month old girl needing medical treatment to the U.S. from a Bangladeshi orphanage run by Mother Teresa.[83] The McCains decided to adopt her, and named her Bridget.[84] First two terms in U.S. Senate McCain's Senate career began in January 1987, after he defeated his Democratic opponent, former state legislator Richard Kimball, by 20 percentage points in the 1986 election.[65][85] McCain succeeded longtime American conservative icon and Arizona fixture Barry Goldwater upon the latter's retirement as United States Senator from Arizona.[85] McCain meeting President Ronald Reagan with First Lady Nancy Reagan at left, March 1987Senator McCain became a member of the Armed Services Committee, with which he had formerly done his Navy liaison work; he also joined the Commerce Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee.[85] McCain continued to support the Native American agenda.[86] As first a House member and then a senator – and as a life-long gambler with close ties to the gambling industry[87] – McCain was one of the main authors of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,[88][89] which codified rules regarding Native American gambling enterprises.[90] McCain was also a strong supporter of the Gramm-Rudman legislation that enforced automatic spending cuts in the case of budget deficits.[91] McCain soon gained national visibility. He delivered a well-received speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, was mentioned by the press as a short list vice-presidential running mate for Republican nominee George H. W. Bush, and was named chairman of Veterans for Bush.[92][85] McCain became enmeshed in a scandal during the 1980s as one of five United States Senators comprising the so-called "Keating Five".[93] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in lawful[94] political contributions from Charles Keating Jr. and his associates at Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, along with trips on Keating's jets[93] that McCain belatedly repaid in 1989.[95] In 1987, McCain was one of the five senators whom Keating contacted in order to prevent the government's seizure of Lincoln, and McCain met twice with federal regulators to discuss the government's investigation of Lincoln.[93] In 1999, McCain said: "The appearance of it was wrong. It's a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators, because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do."[96] In the end, McCain was cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee of acting improperly or violating any law or Senate rule, but was mildly rebuked for exercising "poor judgment".[96][94] In his 1992 re-election bid, the Keating Five affair was not a major issue,[97] and he won handily, gaining 56 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic community and civil rights activist Claire Sargent and independent former Governor Evan Mecham.[98] The 1992 christening of USS John S. McCain at Bath Iron Works, with his mother Roberta, son Jack, daughter Meghan, and wife CindyMcCain developed a reputation for independence during the 1990s.[99] He took pride in challenging party leadership and establishment forces, becoming difficult to categorize politically.[99] As a member of the 1991–1993 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, chaired by Democrat and fellow Vietnam War veteran John Kerry, McCain investigated the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War.[100] The committee's unanimous report stated there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia."[101] Helped by McCain's efforts, in 1995 the U.S. normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam.[102] McCain was vilified by some POW/MIA activists who, unlike the Arizona senator, believed large numbers of Americans were still held against their will in Southeast Asia.[102][103][104] Since January 1993, McCain has been Chairman of the International Republican Institute, an organization partly funded by the U.S. Government that supports the emergence of political democracy worldwide.[105] In 1993 and 1994, McCain voted to confirm President Clinton's nominees Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg whom he considered to be qualified for the U.S. Supreme Court. He would later explain that "under our Constitution, it is the president's call to make."[106] McCain had also voted to confirm nominees of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, including Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.[107] McCain attacked what he saw as the corrupting influence of large political contributions – from corporations, labor unions, other organizations, and wealthy individuals – and he made this his signature issue.[108] Starting in 1994, he worked with Democratic Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform; their McCain-Feingold bill attempted to put limits on "soft money".[108] The efforts of McCain and Feingold were opposed by some of the moneyed interests targeted, by incumbents in both parties, by those who felt spending limits impinged on free political speech and might be unconstitutional as well, and by those who wanted to counterbalance the power of what they saw as media bias.[108][109] Despite sympathetic coverage in the media, initial versions of the McCain-Feingold Act were filibustered and never came to a vote.[110] The term "maverick Republican" became a label frequently applied to McCain, and he has also used it himself.[108][111][112] In 1993, McCain opposed military operations in Somalia.[113] Another target of his was pork barrel spending by Congress, and he actively supported the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, which gave the president power to veto individual spending items[108] but was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1998.[114] In the 1996 presidential election, McCain was again on the short list of possible vice-presidential picks, this time for Republican nominee Bob Dole.[115][97] The following year, Time magazine named McCain as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America".[116] McCain's 1999 family memoirIn 1997, McCain became chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee; he was criticized for accepting funds from corporations and businesses under the committee's purview, but in response said the small contributions he received were not part of the big-money nature of the campaign finance problem.[108] McCain took on the tobacco industry in 1998, proposing legislation that would increase cigarette taxes in order to fund anti-smoking campaigns, discourage teenage smokers, increase money for health research studies, and help states pay for smoking-related health care costs.[108][117] Supported by the Clinton administration but opposed by the industry and most Republicans, the bill failed to gain cloture.[117] Start of third term in the U.S. Senate McCain won re-election to a third senate term in November 1998, prevailing in a landslide over his Democratic opponent, environmental lawyer Ed Ranger.[108] In the February 1999 Senate trial in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, McCain voted to convict the president on both the perjury and obstruction of justice counts, saying Clinton had violated his sworn oath of office.[118] In March 1999, McCain voted to approve the NATO bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, saying that the ongoing genocide of the Kosovo War must be stopped and criticizing past Clinton administration inaction.[119] Later in 1999, McCain shared the Profile in Courage Award with Feingold for their work in trying to enact their campaign finance reform,[120] although the bill was still failing repeated attempts to gain cloture.[110] In August 1999, McCain's memoir Faith of My Fathers, co-authored with Mark Salter, was published;[121] a reviewer observed that its appearance "seems to have been timed to the unfolding Presidential campaign."[122] The most successful of his writings, it received positive reviews,[123] became a bestseller,[124] and was later made into a TV film. The book traces McCain's family background and childhood, covers his time at Annapolis and his service before and during the Vietnam War, concluding with his release from captivity in 1973. According to one reviewer, it describes "the kind of challenges that most of us can barely imagine. It's a fascinating history of a remarkable military family."[125] 2000 presidential campaign Main article: John McCain presidential campaign, 2000 McCain announced his candidacy for president on September 27, 1999 in Nashua, New Hampshire, saying he was staging "a fight to take our government back from the power brokers and special interests, and return it to the people and the noble cause of freedom it was created to serve".[126][121] The leader for the Republican nomination was Texas Governor George W. Bush, who had the political and financial support of most of the party establishment.[127] McCain focused on the New Hampshire primary, where his message appealed to independents.[128] He traveled on a campaign bus called the Straight Talk Express.[121] He held many town hall meetings, answering every question voters asked, in a successful example of "retail politics", and he used free media to compensate for his lack of funds.[121] One reporter later recounted that, "McCain talked all day long with reporters on his Straight Talk Express bus; he talked so much that sometimes he said things that he shouldn't have, and that's why the media loved him."[129] On February 1, 2000, he won New Hampshire's primary with 49 percent of the vote to Bush's 30 percent. The Bush campaign and the Republican establishment feared that a McCain victory in the crucial South Carolina primary might give his campaign unstoppable momentum.[130][121] The Arizona Republic would write that the McCain-Bush primary contest in South Carolina "has entered national political lore as a low-water mark in presidential campaigns", while The New York Times called it "a painful symbol of the brutality of American politics".[121][131][132] A variety of interest groups that McCain had challenged in the past ran negative ads.[121][133] Bush borrowed McCain's earlier language of reform,[134] and declined to dissociate himself from a veterans activist who accused McCain (in Bush's presence) of having "abandoned the veterans" on POW/MIA and Agent Orange issues.[121][135] John McCain's Gallup Poll favorable/unfavorable ratings, 1999–2008[136]Incensed,[135] McCain ran ads accusing Bush of lying and comparing the governor to Bill Clinton, which Bush said was "about as low a blow as you can give in a Republican primary".[121] An anonymous smear campaign began against McCain, delivered by push polls, faxes, e-mails, flyers, and audience plants.[121][137] The smears claimed that McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock (the McCains' dark-skinned daughter was adopted from Bangladesh), that his wife Cindy was a drug addict, that he was a homosexual, and that he was a "Manchurian Candidate" who was either a traitor or mentally unstable from his North Vietnam POW days.[121][131] The Bush campaign strongly denied any involvement with the attacks.[131] McCain lost South Carolina on February 19, with 42 percent of the vote to Bush's 53 percent,[138] in part because Bush mobilized the state's evangelical voters[121][139] and outspent McCain.[140] The win allowed Bush to regain lost momentum.[138] McCain would say of the rumor spreaders, "I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."[84] According to one report, the South Carolina experience left McCain in a "very dark place".[131] McCain's campaign never completely recovered from his South Carolina defeat, although he did rebound partially by winning in Arizona and Michigan a few days later.[141] He made a speech in Virginia Beach that criticized Christian leaders, including Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, as divisive conservatives,[131] declaring "... we embrace the fine members of the religious conservative community. But that does not mean that we will pander to their self-appointed leaders."[142] McCain lost the Virginia primary on February 29,[143] and on March 7 lost nine of the thirteen primaries on Super Tuesday to Bush.[144] With little hope of overcoming Bush's delegate lead, McCain withdrew from the race on March 9, 2000.[145] He endorsed Bush two months later,[146] and made occasional appearances with the Texas governor during the general election campaign.[121] Senate career after 2000 Main article: Senate career of John McCain, 2001–present Remainder of third Senate term McCain began 2001 by breaking with the new George W. Bush administration on a number of matters, including HMO reform, climate change, and gun legislation; McCain-Feingold was opposed by Bush as well.[147][110] In May 2001, McCain was one of only two Senate Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts.[147][148] Besides the differences with Bush on ideological grounds, there was considerable antagonism between the two remaining from the previous year's campaign.[149][150] Later, when Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an Independent, throwing control of the Senate to the Democrats, McCain defended Jeffords against "self-appointed enforcers of party loyalty".[147] Indeed, there was speculation at the time, and in years since, about McCain himself leaving the Republican Party, but McCain has always adamantly denied that he ever considered doing so.[151][147][152] Beginning in 2001, McCain used political capital gained from his presidential run, as well as improved legislative skills and relationships with other members, to become one of the Senate's most influential members.[153] McCain's Senate web site from 2003 to 2006 illustrated his concern about pork barrel spending.[108]After the September 11, 2001 attacks, McCain supported Bush and the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.[147][154] He and then-Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman wrote the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission,[155] while he and Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings co-sponsored the Aviation and Transportation Security Act that federalized airport security.[156] In March 2002, McCain-Feingold passed in both Houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Bush.[110][147] Seven years in the making, it was McCain's greatest legislative achievement.[147][157] Meanwhile, in discussions over proposed U.S. action against Iraq, McCain was a strong supporter of the Bush administration's position.[147] He stated that Iraq was "a clear and present danger to the United States of America", and voted accordingly for the Iraq War Resolution in October 2002.[147] He predicted that U.S. forces would be treated as liberators by a large number of the Iraqi people.[158] In May 2003, McCain voted against the second round of Bush tax cuts, saying it was unwise at a time of war.[148] By November 2003, after a trip to Iraq, he was publicly questioning Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, saying that more U.S. troops were needed; the following year, McCain announced that he had lost confidence in Rumsfeld.[159][160] In October 2003, McCain and Lieberman co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act that would have introduced a cap and trade system aimed at returning greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels; the bill was defeated with 55 votes to 43 in the Senate.[161] They reintroduced modified versions of the Act two additional times, most recently in January 2007 with the co-sponsorship of Barack Obama, among others.[162] In the 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign, McCain was once again frequently mentioned for the vice-presidential slot, only this time as part of the Democratic ticket under nominee John Kerry.[163][164][165] McCain said that Kerry had never formally offered him the position and that he would not have accepted it if he had.[164][165][166] At the 2004 Republican National Convention, McCain supported Bush for re-election, praising Bush's management of the War on Terror since the September 11 attacks.[167] At the same time, the Senator defended Kerry's Vietnam war record.[168] By August 2004, McCain had the best favorable-to-unfavorable rating (55 percent to 19 percent) of any national politician;[167] he campaigned for Bush much more than he had four years previously, though the two remained situational allies rather than friends.[149] McCain was also up for re-election as Senator in 2004. He defeated little-known Democratic schoolteacher Stuart Starky with his biggest margin of victory, garnering 77 percent of the vote.[169] Speaking on the Senate Floor against earmarking, February 2007 Fourth Senate term In May 2005, McCain led the so-called "Gang of 14" in the Senate, which established a compromise that preserved the ability of senators to filibuster judicial nominees, but only in "extraordinary circumstances".[170] The compromise took the steam out of the filibuster movement, but some Republicans remained disappointed that the compromise did not eliminate filibusters of judicial nominees in all circumstances.[171] McCain subsequently cast Supreme Court confirmation votes in favor of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, calling them "two of the finest justices ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court."[172] Breaking from his 2001 and 2003 votes, McCain supported the Bush tax cut extension in May 2006, saying not to do so would amount to a tax increase.[148] Working with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, McCain was a strong proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, which would involve legalization, guest worker programs, and border enforcement components. The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act was never voted on in 2005, while the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 passed the Senate in May 2006 but failed in the House.[160] In June 2007, President Bush, McCain, and others made the strongest push yet for such a bill, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, but it aroused intense grassroots opposition among talk radio listeners and others, some of whom furiously characterized the proposal as an "amnesty" program,[173] and the bill twice failed to gain cloture in the Senate.[174] By the mid-2000s, the increased Indian gaming that McCain had helped bring about was a $23 billion industry.[89] He was twice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, in 1995–1997 and 2005–2007, and his Committee helped expose the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal.[175][176] By 2005 and 2006, McCain was pushing for amendments to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that would limit creation of off-reservation casinos,[89] as well as limiting the movement of tribes across state lines to build casinos.[177] In Baghdad with General David Petraeus, November 2007Owing to his time as a POW, McCain has been recognized for his sensitivity to the detention and interrogation of detainees in the War on Terror. In October 2005, McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005, and the Senate voted 90–9 to support the amendment.[178] It prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, by confining military interrogations to the techniques in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Interrogation. Although Bush had threatened to veto the bill if McCain's amendment was included,[179] the President announced in December 2005 that he accepted McCain's terms and would "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad".[180] This stance, among others, led to McCain being named by Time magazine in 2006 as one of America's 10 Best Senators.[181] McCain voted in February 2008 against a bill containing a ban on waterboarding,[182] which provision was later narrowly passed and vetoed by Bush. However, the bill in question contained other provisions to which McCain objected, and his spokesman stated: "This wasn't a vote on waterboarding. This was a vote on applying the standards of the [Army] field manual to CIA personnel."[182] Meanwhile, McCain continued questioning the progress of the war in Iraq. In September 2005, he remarked upon Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers' optimistic outlook on the war's progress: "Things have not gone as well as we had planned or expected, nor as we were told by you, General Myers."[183] In August 2006, he criticized the administration for continually understating the effectiveness of the insurgency: "We [have] not told the American people how tough and difficult this could be."[160] From the beginning, McCain strongly supported the Iraq troop surge of 2007.[184] The strategy's opponents labeled it "McCain's plan"[185] and University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato said, "McCain owns Iraq just as much as Bush does now."[160] The surge and the war were unpopular during most of the year, even within the Republican Party,[186] as McCain's presidential campaign was underway; faced with the consequences, McCain frequently responded, "I would much rather lose a campaign than a war."[187] In March 2008, McCain credited the surge strategy with reducing violence in Iraq, as he made his eighth trip to that country since the war began.[188] 2008 presidential campaign This section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election. Content may change as the election approaches. Main article: John McCain presidential campaign, 2008 Formally announcing his run for President on April 25, 2007 in Portsmouth, New HampshireJohn McCain formally announced his intention to run for President of the United States on April 25, 2007 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[189] He stated that: "I'm not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things."[190] He also said that the United States should never fight a war without fully committing the necessary resources, unlike what initially occurred in Iraq.[190] McCain's oft-cited strengths as a presidential candidate for 2008 included national name recognition, sponsorship of major lobbying and campaign finance reform initiatives, his well-known military service and experience as a POW, his experience from the 2000 presidential campaign, and an expectation that he would capture Bush's top fundraisers.[191] During the 2006 election cycle, McCain had attended 346 events[57] and helped raise more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates. McCain also became more willing to ask business and industry for campaign contributions, while maintaining that such contributions would not affect any official decisions he would make.[192] Despite being considered the front-runner for the nomination by pundits as 2007 began,[193] McCain was in second place behind former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani in national Republican polls as the year progressed. McCain had fundraising problems in the first half of 2007, due in part to his support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which was unpopular among the Republican base electorate.[194][195] Large-scale campaign staff downsizing took place in early July, but McCain said that he was not considering dropping out of the race.[195] Later that month, the candidate's campaign manager and campaign chief strategist both departed.[196] McCain slumped badly in national polls, often running third or fourth with 15 percent or less support. On March 5, 2008, President Bush met with the McCains, endorsing the presumptive nominee.The Arizona senator subsequently resumed his familiar position as a political underdog,[197] riding the Straight Talk Express and taking advantage of free media such as debates and sponsored events.[198] By December 2007, the Republican race was unsettled, with none of the top-tier candidates dominating the race and all of them possessing major vulnerabilities with different elements of the Republican base electorate.[199] McCain was showing a resurgence, in particular with renewed strength in New Hampshire – the scene of his 2000 triumph – and was bolstered further by the endorsements of The Boston Globe, the Manchester Union-Leader, and almost two dozen other state newspapers,[200] as well as from Independent Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman.[201][202] McCain decided not to campaign significantly in the January 3, 2008 Iowa caucuses, which saw a win by former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee. McCain's comeback plan paid off when he won the New Hampshire primary on January 8, defeating former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney in a close contest, to once again become one of the front-runners in the race.[203] In mid-January, McCain placed first in the South Carolina primary, narrowly defeating Mike Huckabee.[204] Pundits credited the third-place finisher, Tennessee's former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, with drawing votes from Huckabee in South Carolina, thereby giving a narrow win to McCain.[205] A week later, McCain won the Florida primary,[206] beating Romney again in a close contest; Giuliani then dropped out and endorsed McCain.[207] On February 5, McCain won both the majority of states and delegates in the Super Tuesday Republican primaries, giving him a commanding lead toward the Republican nomination. Romney departed from the race on February 7.[208] McCain's wins in the March 4 primaries clinched a majority of the delegates, and he became the presumptive Republican nominee.[209] McCain, having been born in the (Panama) Canal Zone, will if elected become the first president who was born outside the current 50 states. This raises a potential legal issue, since the United States Constitution requires the president to be a natural-born citizen of the United States. A bipartisan legal review[210] and a unanimous Senate resolution[211] both concluded that he is a natural-born citizen, but the matter is still a subject of some legal controversy.[212] Also, if inaugurated in 2009 at age 72 years and 144 days, he would be the oldest U.S. president upon ascension to the presidency,[213] and the second-oldest president to be inaugurated.[214] Waiting to make policy proposals in Denver speech on May 27, 2008McCain has addressed concerns about his age and past health concerns, stating in 2005 that his health was "excellent".[215] He has been treated for a type of skin cancer called melanoma, and an operation in 2000 for that condition left a noticeable mark on the left side of his face.[216] McCain's prognosis appears favorable, according to independent experts, especially because he has already survived without a recurrence for more than seven years.[216] In May 2008, McCain's campaign briefly let the press review his medical records, and he was described as appearing cancer-free, having a strong heart and in general good health.[217] Upon clinching enough delegates for the nomination, McCain's focus shifted toward the general election, while Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton fought a prolonged battle for the Democratic nomination.[218] McCain introduced various policy proposals, and sought to improve his fundraising.[219][220] Cindy McCain, who accounts for most of the couple's wealth with an estimated net worth of $100 million,[67] made part of her tax returns public in May.[221] After facing criticism about lobbyists on staff, the McCain campaign issued new rules in May 2008 to avoid conflicts of interest, causing five top aides to leave.[222][223] The Palins and McCains campaigning in Fairfax, Virginia, following the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 10When Obama became the Democrats' presumptive nominee in early June, McCain proposed joint town hall meetings, but Obama instead requested more traditional debates for the fall.[224] In July, a staff shake-up put Steve Schmidt in full operational control of the McCain campaign.[225] Throughout these summer months, Obama typically led McCain in national polls by single-digit margins,[226] and also led in several key swing states.[227] McCain reprised his familiar underdog role, which was due at least in part to the overall challenges Republicans faced in the election year.[227][197] McCain accepted public financing for the general election campaign, and the restrictions that go with it, while criticizing his Democratic opponent for becoming the first major party candidate to opt out of such financing for the general election since the system was implemented in 1976.[228][229] The Republican's broad campaign theme focused on his experience and ability to lead, compared to Obama's.[230] Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was revealed as McCain's surprise choice for running mate on August 29, 2008.[231] McCain was only the second U.S. major-party presidential nominee to select a woman for running mate and the first Republican to do so; Palin would become the first female Vice-President of the United States if elected. McCain and Palin became the Republican Party's Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees, respectively, at the 2008 Republican National Convention, on September 3, 2008 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. On September 24, McCain said he was suspending his campaign, called on Obama to join him, and proposed delaying the first of the general election debates with Obama, in order to work on the proposed U.S. financial system bailout before Congress, which was targeted at addressing the subprime mortgage crisis and liquidity crisis.[232][233] McCain's intervention helped to give dissatisfied House Republicans an opportunity to propose changes to the plan that was otherwise close to agreement.[234][235] After Obama declined McCain's suspension suggestion, McCain went ahead with the debate on September 26.[236] On October 1, McCain voted in favor of a revised $700 billion rescue plan.[237] Another debate was held on October 7; like the first one, polls afterward suggested that Obama had won it.[238] A final presidential debate occurred on October 15.[239] The election is set for November 4. Political positions Main articles: Political positions of John McCain and Comparison of United States presidential candidates, 2008 Various interest groups have given Senator McCain scores or grades as to how well his votes align with the positions of each group.[240] The American Conservative Union awarded McCain a lifetime rating of 82 percent through 2007, while McCain has an average lifetime 13 percent "Liberal Quotient" from Americans for Democratic Action through 2007.[241][242] McCain's congressional voting scores, from the American Conservative Union (pink line; 100 is most conservative) and Americans for Democratic Action (blue line; 100 is most liberal)[243]The Almanac of American Politics rates congressional votes as liberal or conservative on the political spectrum, in three policy areas: economic, social, and foreign. For 2005–2006, McCain's average ratings were as follows: the economic rating 59 percent conservative and 41 percent liberal, the social rating 54 percent conservative / 38 percent liberal, and the foreign rating 56 percent conservative / 43 percent liberal.[244] Columnists such as Robert Robb and Matthew Continetti have used a formulation devised by William F. Buckley, Jr. to describe McCain as "conservative" but not "a conservative", meaning that while McCain usually tends towards conservative positions, he is not "anchored by the philosophical tenets of modern American conservatism."[245][246] The two political issues that voters have been most concerned about in 2008 are the economy and Iraq.[247] On the economy, McCain says he would make the Bush tax cuts permanent instead of letting them expire, eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax so as to assist the middle-class, double the personal exemption for dependents, reduce the corporate tax rate, and offer a new research and development tax credit.[248][249] At the same time, he pledges to eliminate pork-barrel spending, freeze nondefense discretionary spending for a year or more, and reduce Medicare growth.[249] McCain is also opposed to high salaries and lucrative severance deals of corporate CEOs and is in favor of Say on pay laws that give stockholders a vote on executive compensation.[249][250] Another proposal of the Arizona senator is to build 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030, in order to fight climate change and establish U.S. energy independence.[251] Additionally, McCain proposes that the federal government buy troubled mortgages, and provide low-interest mortgages to qualified homeowners. For people with 401(k) plans, he wants to allow more flexibility about when money can be withdrawn, and would lower the tax on that money, as well as lowering the tax on unemployment insurance benefits. McCain is also proposing to cut the capital gains tax on stock held for more than one year, while increasing the tax write-off for stock losses.[252] On Iraq, McCain's goal is that by 2013 most servicemen and women will have returned, the Iraq War will have been won, and Iraq will be a functioning democracy, "although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension." McCain expects that by 2013, there will still be violence, but at a much-reduced level, and without American troops in a direct combat role.[253][254] From the late 1990s until 2008, McCain was a board member of Project Vote Smart (PVS) which was set up by Richard Kimball, his 1986 Senate opponent.[255] PVS provides non-partisan information about the political positions of McCain[256] and other candidates for political office. Additionally, McCain uses his Senate web site, and his 2008 campaign web site, to describe his political positions.[257][258] Cultural and political image Main article: Cultural and political image of John McCain John McCain's personal character has been a dominant feature of his public image.[259] This image includes the military service of both himself and his family,[260] his maverick political persona,[108] his temper,[261] his admitted problem of occasional ill-considered remarks,[85] and his close ties to his children from both his marriages.[22] McCain's political appeal has been more nonpartisan and less ideological compared to many other national politicians.[262] His stature and reputation stem partly from his service in the Vietnam War.[263] He also carries physical vestiges of his war wounds, as well as his melanoma surgery.[264] When campaigning, he quips: "I am older than dirt and have more scars than Frankenstein."[265] Speaking in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Memorial Day, 2008, wearing his purple heartThe Arizona senator considers himself to be a straight-talking public servant, and acknowledges also being impatient.[266] Other traits include a penchant for lucky charms,[267] a fondness for hiking,[268] and a sense of humor that has sometimes backfired spectacularly, as when he made a joke in 1998 about the Clintons widely deemed not fit to print in newspapers: "Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? — Because Janet Reno is her father."[269][270] McCain subsequently apologized profusely,[271] and the Clinton White House accepted his apology.[272] McCain has not shied away from addressing his shortcomings, and apologizing for them.[273][274] He is known for sometimes being prickly[275] and hot-tempered[276] with Senate colleagues, but his relations with his own Senate staff have been more cordial, and have inspired loyalty towards him.[277][278] McCain acknowledges having said intemperate things in years past,[279] though he also says that many stories have been exaggerated.[280] One psychoanalytic comparison suggests that McCain would not be the first U.S. leader to have a temper,[281] and cultural critic Julia Keller argues that voters want leaders who are passionate, engaged, fiery, and feisty.[261] McCain has employed both profanity[282] and shouting on occasion, although such incidents have become less frequent over the years.[283][284] Senator Joe Lieberman has made this observation: "It is not the kind of anger that is a loss of control. He is a very controlled person."[283] Senator Thad Cochran, who has known McCain for decades and has battled him over earmarks,[285][286] has expressed concern about a McCain presidency: "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."[283] Ultimately Cochran decided to support McCain for president, after it was clear he would win the nomination.[287] All of John McCain's family members are on good terms with him,[22] and he has defended them against some of the negative consequences of his high-profile political lifestyle.[288][289] His family's military tradition extends to the latest generation: son John Sidney IV ("Jack") is enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy, son James has served with the Marines in Iraq, and son Doug flew jets in the Navy.[290][22]