Name: John McCain
Party: Republican 
Official Website: http://www.johnmccain.com
Bio:
The son and grandson of distinguished Navy admirals, McCain attended college at the United States Naval Academy, and launched a 22-year career as a naval aviator upon his graduation, whereupon he asked to serve in the Vietnam War. During his 23rd bombing mission on October 26, 1967, a missile struck McCain’s plane and forced him to eject, knocking him unconscious and breaking both his arms and his leg. McCain was then taken as a prisoner of war where he was denied necessary medical treatment and beaten by the North Vietnamese. After his release, McCain continued to serve in the Navy, and retired from the Navy in 1981. His naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. McCain was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1986, after serving two terms in the U.S. House. Senator McCain has seven children and four grandchildren, and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Cindy.
Where This Candidate Stands On The Issues:
What is your plan to end the war in Iraq?
McCain has called for more troops to be sent to Iraq to combat the insurgency and achieve long term success. McCain has stated he would implement a more robust counterinsurgency strategy to attack insurgent strongholds. He has also called for the U.S. to accelerate the training and equipping of Iraqi armed forces. McCain would have a strong commitment to go after the militias, initiate a reconciliation process for insurgents and Baathists, have a more equitable distribution of government resources, provincial elections that would bring Sunnis into the government, and introduce a large increase in employment-generating economic projects. McCain believes there must be a greater emphasis on non-military components promoting economic development and representative governance as well. McCain believes Syria and Iran have aided and abetted the violence in Iraq and that the international community must apply pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior. He has also state that the he would bolster the U.S.’s regional military posture to make clear to Iran deter Iranian intervention in Iraq.
What is your plan to help solve the credit crunch?
McCain wants to avoid a broad bailout to prevent foreclosures. He would target assistance to borrowers who have been taken advantage of by lenders. McCain would also like to see more consumer education and would encourage regulators to protect homeowners and to steady the markets. McCain does not support a broad bailout unless it can be conclusively seen to target the borrowers who were taken advantage of by lenders.
How would you improve the US’s education system?
McCain does not favor nationally imposed standards or federal funding strings. He believes that state and local education agencies should be responsible for developing & enforcing high academic standards. He has proposed sending education funding directly to classrooms instead of federal and state bureaucracies. If this funding flows to classrooms that continue to fail, he believes the state should have the authority to allow students to use that funding directly for programs that best meet their academic needs. McCain wants to create a pool of military veterans, retirees and others who would tutor students in math, science and English. McCain has stated that he believes the decision to teach creationism and intelligent design should be made by individual school districts.
What is your plan to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil?
McCain believes that America's economic and environmental interests are not mutually exclusive, but rather inextricably linked. He would limit carbon emissions by harnessing market forces that would bring advanced technologies, such as nuclear energy, to the market faster, reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of energy, and see to it that America leads in a way that ensures all nations do their rightful share.
