As we move toward the November elections, the picture for the race to the White House is becoming clearer, especially that of the Republican Party, where Sen. John McCain has the nomination all but wrapped up. The American Right could not have made a smarter choice. Although McCain is often seen as too moderate for many hard-liners, he is the perfect candidate to represent a party that has all but lost the faith of the American people during the last seven years.
At the tender age of 71, McCain is one of the most experienced lawmakers in Washington. Starting his career in the Navy, McCain served valiantly in the Vietnam War where we was a prisoner of war for more than five-and-a-half years. After retiring from the Navy, McCain entered politics in the state of Arizona. Serving first as a congressman, McCain quickly ascended the political ladder and became a senator after only four years, a post he has held since 1987. And as many can recall, McCain ran for president in 2000 but was narrowly defeated in the early primaries by George W. Bush.
But it seems the second time is the charm for McCain, who currently has a 755 delegate lead over his closest rival, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. McCain is the right choice for the Republicans because of his moderate views on many of the most heated issues. With Bush's approval rating decreasing, the American people are becoming disillusioned with the far-right tendencies of the current administration. McCain has always been seen as a rogue figure when it comes to aligning himself with the party. He is opposed to a Constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriages, as he believes it to be an issue decided state by state. McCain is also at odds with die-hard conservatives when it comes to stem cell research. He supports federal funding that would be used for research on embryos that would otherwise be discarded or perpetually frozen. He is a staunch supporter of the environment and, along with Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 was introduced, aimed at significantly reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. McCain is perhaps most liberal with his views on immigration. In 2007, he co-sponsored legislation with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy that would allows millions of illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. to gain citizenship.
Even though McCain is seen as a maverick in his own party, he holds predominantly conservative views. He is definitely a hawk when it comes to foreign policy. He supports the Iraq War and would keep troops in the country as long as necessary, as opposed to Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who both have plans to pull our troops out. McCain also has a strong history of pro-life tendencies and has been quoted saying that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. He is a staunch backer of free trade and limited government intervention in the economy, and he agrees with Bush that individuals should be allowed to handle Social Security accounts privately.
I believe John McCain should be president because he has what it takes to unify the American political system. Never before have the Republicans and Democrats been as polarized, with Bush about as far right as they come. And as far as the Democratic candidates are concerned, Obama and Clinton might be as far left as Bush is right. Should either of them be elected, I can guarantee the partisan bickering that so epitomizes Washington now would continue for another term. It is time that we have a moderate, experienced president in the White House who can unite our two nations, divided between blue states and red.
Kevin Jackson is a sophomore in history and political science and member of the Undergraduate Political Science Organization. He can be reached at jackson.1441@osu.edu.
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