John McCain

Alternative meanings: John S. McCain, Sr., John S. McCain, Jr.

John McCain
Senior Senator, Arizona
In office January, 1987–Present
Preceded by	Barry Goldwater
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Personal details
Nationality	american
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Cindy McCain

John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician. A Republican, McCain has been a U.S. Senator from Arizona since 1987, winning re-election in 1992, 1998, and 2004. He was a presidential candidate in the 2000 election, but was defeated in the Republican primaries by then-Texas Governor and now President George W. Bush.

Prior to entering politics, McCain was a Captain in the United States Navy and a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged upon his retirement from the Navy in 1981.

Early life

McCain was born in Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone, the son and grandson of prominent U.S. Navy admirals (John S. McCain, Jr. and John S. McCain, Sr.). He attended Episcopal High School and graduated in 1954. That fall, McCain, like his father and grandfather before him, entered the United States Naval Academy. He has admitted that he disliked the life of a midshipman. Accordingly, McCain was a lackluster student and received many demerits. He graduated in 1958, and joked that he had followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom had graduated very low in their respective classes at Annapolis. (McCain graduated 894th out of a class of 899.) In 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, a model originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple divorced in 1980.

Vietnam

File:Nixon greets POW McCain.jpg

President Richard Nixon, left, greets the released John McCain, right, on crutches.

A naval aviator, McCain was assigned aboard the USS Forrestal where, on July 29, 1967, he escaped death when a missile accidentally launched across the ship, striking his A-4 Skyhawk. The impact ruptured the fuel tank on his aircraft, the leaking fuel instantly ignited, and knocked a bomb into the fire. McCain escaped from his jet by climbing out of the cockpit, walking down to the nose of the plane, and jumping off the nose boom. A minute and a half after the impact, the bomb exploded underneath the plane, starting a major fire which killed 134 sailors and nearly threatened to destroy the ship.

Video tape shot aboard the Forrestal shows McCain narrowly escaping the explosion.

Later in 1967, he was shot down over Vietnam, and was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for five-and-a-half years, mostly in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. When the North Vietnamese discovered he was the son and grandson of admirals, he was offered a chance to go home, but he refused to break the military code that POWs be released in the order that they are captured.

He was finally released from captivity in 1973, having survived the injuries he received when he was shot down, the beatings from an angry crowd and his captors, a year of torture, and two years of solitary confinement. Coincidentally, the pilot incarcerated next to him, James Stockdale, went on to be Ross Perot's running mate in 1992. Once released, his POW injuries prevented him from receiving a sea command, so in 1977, he became a Naval liaison to the Senate. He retired from the Navy in 1981 as a Captain on the same day he watched his father buried next to his grandfather in Arlington National Cemetery. During his military career he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

McCain is one of only three Vietnam veterans serving in the US Senate, the others being fellow Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts.

A TV movie entitled Faith Of My Fathers, based on McCain's memoir of his experiences as a POW, aired on Memorial Day, 2005 on A&E.

Political career

When John Jacob Rhodes, the longtime congressman from Arizona's First Congressional district, announced his retirement, McCain ran for the seat in 1982 and won it. In 1986, upon Senator Barry Goldwater's retirement, McCain was elected to succeed him. His campaign was partially financed by Charles Keating, who had also contributed to his House campaigns. Keating was convicted of fraud during the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980s, also causing McCain to come under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee. McCain was found to have no involvement in what became known as the Keating Five scandal, but the ordeal may have led to his later support of campaign finance reform.

Race for President 2000

In 1997, TIME magazine named him as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America." His best-selling book, Faith of My Fathers (1999, ISBN 0375501916), helped propel his presidential run. McCain ran in the 2000 presidential Republican primary, winning in New Hampshire, Michigan, Massachusetts, Arizona, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont. He also gave a strong showing in Washington state, where he lost by 2,730 votes statewide, as well as in South Carolina and Maine.

The primary in South Carolina was especially important, as a McCain victory probably would have put him on the track to nomination. His loss has been attributed to a combination of Bush's mobilization of the state's religious vote and the general reluctance of the American people to elect a senator to an executive position. The primary was remembered as particularly intense even relative to the political polarization of the electorate at that time, including allegations of dirty campaigning regarding McCain's adopted daughter. [1]

McCain was heavily criticized during the campaign for his continued use of an ethnic slur in reference to his Vietnamese captors. He told reporters, "I hate the gooks.... I will hate them as long as I live." [2] At first, he stood by his use of the slur, saying that it was "the kindest, the kindest description I can give them." [3] After the comments caused a great deal of controversy which threatened to derail his Presidential bid, McCain reversed his position and apologized.

Race for President 2004

Despite his earlier rivalry with Bush, McCain was one of the President's most vocal supporters in the 2004 US Presidential Election. He often praised Bush's leadership and continuing zeal after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, and in that light less important issues could be pushed aside. McCain's reputation as a moderate appealed to many voters who found Bush too hard-line conservative.

There was some speculation that McCain's longtime friend and colleague, and also the Democratic Presidential nominee, John F. Kerry of Massachusetts would ask McCain to be his running mate to help Kerry shake his "liberal from the northeast" label, but McCain rejected Kerry's initial overtures, and so Kerry never officially asked him. This prompted Bush to run an advertisement called "The First Choice" showing clips of McCain praising Bush. Furthermore, the GOP used this information to ridicule Kerry's eventual running mate, one-term Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

At the 2004 Republican National Convention, he referred to Michael Moore as "a disingenuous filmmaker" without actually naming him. This was met with thunderous applause from the audience, after which he repeated the phrase. McCain knew Moore was in attendance that evening. He was writing a column for USA Today. After McCain's statement, Moore was caught on camera forming an "L" on his forehead with his thumb and index finger (in some circles this is a shorthand for "Loser", a term of derision)

Race for President 2008

John McCain enjoys a birthday cake with President George W. Bush on August 29, 2005.

Many current polls have him as one of the leading candidates in the 2008 Republican primary, but McCain has not given a definitive answer as to whether or not he will pursue the nomination in 2008 as a Republican.

In an interview in the June 2005 edition of Men's Journal magazine, McCain said that he "absolutely" would like to be President of the United States, but has not yet decided whether or not he will run again in 2008. He indicated that he would probably not make a firm decision until 2007 about another run at the White House, citing family and Senate responsibilities. On an episode of the ladies television show The View, aired 8 November 2005, McCain remarked he would only make a decision after the 2006 mid-term elections, when he could be certain the mood of the American people was similar to his vision for America.

He will be 72 by the time the elections roll around in 2008, making him 3 years older than the oldest elected president Ronald Reagan, but he has dismissed concerns about his age and past health concerns, stating that his condition was "excellent."

Though popular both with the press and the nation as a whole, McCain has made an enemy of rank and file Republicans who vote in primaries because of his high profile defection with key items of the party platform. His compromise (some say surrender) with the liberal Democrats on judicial nominations and his willingness to break with party leadership has caused several conservative groups to strongly oppose his candidacy for the Republican nomination.

See also: U.S. presidential election, 2008

Political views

McCain is conservative on many military and social issues, but more liberal on a few fiscal issues, causing some Republicans (generally fierce conservatives) to call him a Republican In Name Only. He once fought against funding the construction of a new aircraft carrier, saying the money should be spent on the 12,000 enlisted families who were on food stamps. He is strongly pro-life and equally strongly against tobacco. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention centered around that theme. His appeal during the 2000 presidential campaign was based on honesty, style and personal image rather than any label of liberal or conservative.

McCain is sometimes called a "maverick senator" because of his willingness to break with the party line. He fights against pork barrel spending and supports expanded legislation on health care and education. McCain was principally responsible for forcing a re-evaluation of the USAF KC-767 leasing contract. He has also criticized both political parties for refusing to sacrifice President Bush's tax cuts and spending agendas in wartime. His concerns over global warming and other environmental issues have also put him at odds with the Bush administration and other Republicans. In addition, he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, reaffirming his position as a political moderate.

McCain has also generally supported moves to expand immigration to the US[4]-including expansion of the H-1b visa program. In 2005, he co-sponsored a bill [5] with Ted Kennedy that would expand use of guest worker visas.

McCain has announced that he supports the inclusion of intelligent design teaching in schools. [6] In 2005, McCain told the Arizona Daily Star that he believes "all points of view" should be available to students.

McCain is also a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research. He has also joined the advisory board of Christine Todd Whitman's group It's My Party Too.

McCain hasn't been afraid to criticize the Bush Administration. After a controversial meeting in Kuwait, he stated that he had "no confidence" in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but refused to go so far as to call for his resignation, explaining that President Bush "can have the team that he wants around him."

However, he has been a very strong supporter of the Bush White House's decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power and their foreign policy in general. Even with this support, McCain has urged the Bush administration to make "significant policy changes" in the Iraq conflict. He criticized the Pentagon several times, most notably concerning troop strength in Iraq [7], and has more recently been calling for a diversification of Iraqi national forces to better represent the multiple ethnic groups contained within the country. He has also stated that he feels the United States government must do more to keep public support high for the war, stressing that "America, Iraq and the world are better off with Saddam Hussein in prison rather than in power...and we must honor their sacrifice by seeing this mission through to victory." McCain's full speech on the matter from mid-November 2005 can be read at his Senate website.

Campaign finance changes

One of McCain's main passions in his national political career has been the topic of campaign finance reform. In spite of voting against such measures initially, since 1992, McCain has repeatedly tried to pass legislation regulating campaign financing, finally achieving a major victory in 2002. That year, Congress passed a key "campaign finance reform bill", the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002", co-sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold and hence also known as the McCain-Feingold bill. It was immediately challenged on free speech grounds. The American Civil Liberties Union argued publicly that it "believes that key elements of Shays-Meehan (House version of "McCain-Feingold") violate the First Amendment right to free speech because the legislation contains provisions that would violate the constitutionally protected right of the people to express their opinions about issues through broadcast advertising if they mention the name of a candidate and restrict soft money contributions and uses of soft money for no constitutionally justifiable reason."

The new law was narrowly upheld by the Supreme Court on December 10, 2003, in an expedited hearing and ruling.

"The Gang of 14"

Main Article: Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, McCain was one of fourteen "moderate" senators to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster, thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the so-called "nuclear option". Under the agreement, senators would retain the power to filibuster a judicial nominee, the Democrats would agree to use this power against Bush nominees only in an "extraordinary circumstance", the Republicans involved would agree to vote against the nuclear option if implemented, and three of the most contested Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) would receive a vote by the full Senate.

Detention of Extrajudicial Prisoners

Main article: Detainee Amendments

Senator McCain, as a former POW, has particular sensitivity to the issue of the detention and interrogation of detainees from the War on Terror. On October 3, 2005, Senator McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005. On October 5, 2005, the United States Senate voted 90-9 to support the amendment. [8]

This amendment would establish the US Army Field Manual on Interrogation as the standard for interrogation of all detainees held in Department of Defense custody, including those held by the Central Intelligence Agency in the War on Terror. The amendment would also prohibit cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment and follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Amendment is being opposed by the Bush administration, particuarly Vice-President Dick Cheney. Before the vote supporting the amendment, the White House had threatened to veto any language limiting the use of torture on suspected terrorists. However, due to the size of the majority voting in favor, this is no longer an option. The White House now seeks for alternative language which would allow CIA operatives to use torture. Senator McCain has refused the compromise.

McCain has said that he will attach the amendment to every major bill until it is passed.

• Senator McCain's Newsweek Article: "Torture's Terrible Toll"

Personal

McCain lives with his second wife Cindy Hensley McCain, chair of the large Anheuser-Busch beer and liquor distributor Hensley Distributing founded by her father, [9] in Phoenix. He is five feet seven inches tall.

McCain has been treated for recurrent skin cancer, including melanoma, in 1993, 2000, and 2002. Some media sources have suggested that this may be linked to his heavy sun exposure in Vietnam. Since then he has become active in promoting awareness of skin cancers.

He has eight children; John adopted first wife Carol's sons (Doug and Andy), and he and Carol had a daughter, (Sydney). John has four children by Cindy (Meghan, Jack - Brophy College Preparatory (2004), United States Naval Academy (2009), Jimmy, and James), plus he and Cindy adopted their youngest daughter (Bridget) after discovering her in a Bangladeshi orphanage run by Mother Teresa.

He has four grandchildren.

Appearances on television and in movies

McCain is not afraid to appear in various entertainment mediums. He was the center of controversy concerning his cameo appearance in 2005 summer movie Wedding Crashers. While his cameo was short, he has been criticized for appearing in an R-rated movie with several scenes of brief nudity. Matt Drudge of Drudge Report, while commenting on McCain's appearance, referred to the film as a "boob raunch fest." McCain, during an appearance on the Jay Leno show, joked about "working with boobs all the time in Washington."

McCain hosted the October 12, 2002 episode of Saturday Night Live.

McCain has appeared as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at least four times - most recently on November 8, 2005 - and has also given video interviews to the program. He is a fan-favorite among the audience both for his sharp wit and willingness to speak his mind. One of his interviews with Stewart can be found on The Daily Show's Indecision 2004 DVD set.

In the 2005 documentary Why We Fight by Eugene Jarecki, McCain is interviewed and gives his opinion on the ties between Dick Cheney and Halliburton.

According to various websites, McCain is scheduled to make a cameo appearance on the fifth season of 24 from the Fox Network. There is no information regarding his role as either himself or an additional character at this time.

During a November 2005 appearance on The View, McCain was asked about the rumors of a possible run for president in 2008. McCain responded, "Except for making my kids sing Hail to the Chief, I never think of myself as president."

Works

• Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, October 2005) ISBN 1400064120
• Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, April 2004) ISBN 1400060303
• Odysseus in America by Jonathan Shay, Max Cleland, John S. McCain (Scribner, November 2002) ISBN 0743211561
• Worth the Fighting for: A Memoir by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, September 2002) ISBN 0375505423
• Unfinished Business: Afghanistan, the Middle East and Beyond--Defusing the Dangers That Threaten America's Security by Harlan Ullman, John S. McCain (Citadel Press, June 2002) ISBN 0806524316
• Faith of My Fathers by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, August 1999) ISBN 0375501916
• The Reminiscences of Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., U.S. Navy (retired) by John S. McCain (U.S. Naval Institute, 1999) ISBN B0006RY8ZK

See also

• International Republican Institute

External links

• John McCain's Senate website.
• Template:Nndb name
• Arizona Republic's Seven Chapter Special on John McCain, 1999
• Sen. John McCain - 2008 Presidential Wire
• Nation Magazine Cover Story: The Real John McCain
• Senator John Mccain Offers 10 Ways That You, Too, Can Support The War Effort

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