Experts
John McCain
U.S. Senator (R), Arizona
McCain says we have to track down the people who want to destroy America. Read More
McCain, on effectively implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. Read More
Fundamentalism is a perversion of an honorable religion. Read More
John McCain: McCain, on comparing the two wars and what we can learn from it. Read More
The Republican nominee believes that if you do a good job, you win. Read More
The special interests have too much influence, McCain says. Read More
Congressional oversight and a balance of power are key. Read More
As the age of revolution, McCain says. Read More
Historians often judge presidents by their national security policies, says McCain. Read More
The government must address the issues most important to the American people. Read More
The United States will still be in every measure the strongest nation in the world. Read More
If you were a democratically inclined Iraqi, you'd be very happy that Saddam Hussein is gone. Read More
The answer is political and economic. Read More
John McCain: McCain says it's Hillary Clinton's push to require health insurance. Read More
Sen. McCain talks about his agreements and disagreements with both political parties. Read More
The dramatic increase of independent voters should tell us something. Read More
McCain does not support ethanol subsidies. Read More
NAFTA has created millions of jobs, says McCain. Read More
The citizens of New Hampshire play a unique role. Read More
Are we becoming a dynastic monarchy? Read More
About John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election. McCain followed his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals, into the United States Navy, graduating 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. McCain experienced episodes of torture, and refused 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 ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, but lost a heated primary contest to George W. Bush. He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals, but lost to Democratic candidate Barack Obama in the general election.