A man like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., occupies a unique position in American politics. The bases of both parties are suspicious of his principles and unpredictability, and the ill-defined centrists who bemoan the "disappearance" of so-called political moderates generally find him acceptable - especially for a Beltway politician. Misconceptions about his politics abound.
Accordingly, I sincerely hope you approach this column with an open mind, conceding at the very least that the presidency could benefit substantially from a man like McCain, who approaches virtually every problem with a measured, rational analysis.
A miserable social conservative myself, I am not overly thrilled about the prospect of a McCain presidency. Nevertheless, for varying reasons, I feel McCain would be an agreeable president for social conservatives, yet still maintain an appeal for social liberals. For instance, a President McCain would not, as President Bush did, push for a Federal Marriage Amendment - as evidenced by his decision, while in the Senate, to vote against the proposed amendment. Rather, he would encourage people who oppose homosexual marriage to take their battle to the state level. I would think both sides could tolerate this view.
On pro-life issues, McCain is admittedly conservative. He has committed himself to appointing federal judges with judicial philosophies at odds with Roe v. Wade. However, people with pro-choice views should not be completely turned off by this stance - a pro-choicer could oppose Roe v. Wade simply because it is a constitutional extrapolation. But, even if the case were overturned, he would assent to its legality if it were subjected to the democratic process in each state, meaning that states with a majority of the population who support the practice could preserve it.
Unfortunately for pro-lifers, McCain defected from the pro-life side of the aisle when he voted for a bill that would allow federal funding of embryo-destructive stem-cell research. This view, though, is amenable to those on the left - it is certain that, had McCain been in office, he would have signed that piece of legislation, instead of vetoing it as Bush did. Social conservatives balk at this stance, but many on the left should be ecstatic about a Republican who supports this legislation.
Concerning immigration, McCain is surely not a nativist. I do not mean to unfairly criticize conservative approaches to immigration policy, but many of them are so draconian and unfeasible that I almost think my immigrant ancestors are going to be exhumed and shipped back to Ireland. Liberals then should view McCain's position on this pressing issue as quite enlightened, seeing as he has repeatedly expressed his support for both a guest worker program and a policy whereby illegal aliens can work toward citizenship.
In regards to economic issues, McCain has a history of moderation. He has never voted for a general tax increase. However, he did vote against Bush's tax cuts, citing their unequal distribution throughout the population, in favor of the rich, and their questionable prudence. In 2002, the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank, gave McCain a 100 percent rating on free-trade issues. McCain has proved that he feels genuine concern for the consumer and is not beholden to either the protectionist right or the let's-keep-jobs-in-America left.
The newest cause of the left, global warming, also has an ally in McCain, who would like to address it with market-based solutions. He said that if president, "I would reaffirm my commitment to address the issue of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions." With a Bush presidency that has only recently acknowledged the existence of global warming, I believe that many liberals and independents could warm to a man like McCain.
Most importantly, McCain has been a strong, yet measured, advocate of the global war on terrorism in general, and the war in Iraq in particular. McCain understands that success in Iraq and against Islamic radicals across the globe is absolutely essential, and more than any other contender for the presidency - whether Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney - he has displayed his steadfastness in this most worthy pursuit.
Yet McCain has also bucked the party line on this issue, demonstrating his genuine independence on several occasions. For instance, he has been a strong critic of Bush's detention policies and the existence of Guantanamo Bay. If president, he has stated, "I would immediately close Guantanamo Bay, move all the prisoners to Fort Leavenworth (an army base in Kansas) and truly expedite the judicial proceedings in their cases."
With McCain as president, the citizens of this country can be assured that our nation would be under excellent leadership. We would have a leader who, albeit a conservative, appeals to both sides of the aisle. We would have a leader who could truly unite the people in the direction of progress. We would have a presidential president.
Vote McCain.
Sean Quigley '10 would vote for the Maverick even if he were inverted.
