Bradsjournal: Why I support John McCain (and you should too)

It is no secret around political circles that hardcore conservatives and John McCain don’t have a very good relationship. Metaphorically speaking, if the far-right were a tuxedo, McCain would be a pair of brown shoes. McCain has been known as a maverick, which means that he has on numerous occasions, gone against his party and sided with Democrats on important issues.

For example, he teamed up with Democrat Sen. Russ Feingold to pass a bill that Conservatives hated on campaign finance reform. McCain was also instrumental in what became known as the McCain-Kennedy bill on immigration. Many Republicans felt this gave amnesty to people illegally in our country. And, John McCain voted against President Bush’s tax cuts in both 2001 and 2003.
Regardless of those issues, I will strongly support John McCain against whichever Democrat is eventually nominated. Why? First of all, John McCain has more experience both in life and in politics than Hillary Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama combined. McCain is a graduate of the Naval Academy and then served in the Navy for 23 years.

He served in Vietnam as a Navy pilot and was shot down in 1967 and was captured. McCain was a Prisoner of War until 1973 at the now famous or infamous, “Hanoi Hilton” where he was tortured, having his arms broken and being repeatedly tortured. And liberals complain about waterboarding, give me a break. After the war, McCain was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart. Neither Clinton nor Obama ever served in the military. In 1982, McCain was elected to the House of Representatives and was then elected into the Senate in 1986 succeeding Barry Goldwater in Arizona. His experience in Congress more than doubles that of Obama and Clinton combined.

As I mentioned earlier, John McCain has been on the wrong side of some issues, but he has been on the right side of many more. Although he voted against the Bush tax cuts, he has pledged to make them permanent if elected. Sen. McCain has voted with the president on almost all of the domestic anti-terror measures put into place by the Bush Administration, including the Patriot Act. He also has a solid Pro-Life voting record during his time as an elected official. And, most importantly, McCain has been a hawk on foreign policy. He was instrumental in implementing the “surge” strategy in Iraq that has led to significant gains in stability in that country over the past year. Unlike the Democrats, McCain understands the threat of Islamic terrorism and says he will stay on the offense against the terrorists instead of pulling a Clinton or Obama and retreating in defeat. McCain also has a personal stake in the war efforts because his son James is in the Marine Corps and has done a tour of duty in Iraq.

Nevertheless, John McCain is not perfect. If it is perfection you are looking for in a candidate, I’m afraid that will be an endless search. I have plenty of disagreements with McCain on some rather large issues, but the alternative to him is totally unacceptable. Luckily, we have about eight months until the election, which means that Sen. McCain will have time to appeal to the conservative base of the Republican Party.
Regardless, all Republicans, moderate and conservative, must consolidate around our party’s nominee, because even with a united party, winning this year will be an uphill battle. Even history is against us. It is very rare for a party to retain the White House after a two-term president.
The reality is that John McCain gives the Grand Old Party the best chance of holding on to power in this country at a time when strength, leadership and experience are paramount. His ability to attract independent voters, and even some Democrats, is almost unmatched by any other candidate of the GOP. One must remember that the Republican Party has always been considered a big tent. We are not only the party of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, but also of Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

With that said, I sincerely hope that many conservatives will stop thinking with their hearts and start using their heads so they will realize just what this country will look like under a President Obama, or worse yet, and God forbid, another President Clinton.