John McCain

For McCain's grandfather and father, see John S. McCain, Sr. and John S. McCain, Jr.

John McCain
Senior Senator, Arizona
In office January 1987–present
Preceded by	Barry Goldwater
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Personal details
Nationality	american
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	(1) Carol Shepp, divorced; (2) Cindy Hensley McCain

John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona, having served since 1987. He first became a national celebrity after serving six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was a presidential candidate in the 2000 election, but was defeated in the Republican primary by George W. Bush. Polls indicate he is one of two frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. McCain's bipartisan initiatives in the Senate include investigation of corrupt lobbyists, campaign finance reform, immigration reform, interpretation of Geneva Convention standards for detainees and terror suspects, and blocking of Senate filibusters for judges. Considered pro-life and a strong supporter of the Bush administration on the Iraq War and fiscal issues, McCain's rating by the American Conservative Union is 83 percent.

Early life

Senator John McCain was born in Coco Solo in the American Panama Canal Zone. Both his father and grandfather were famous U.S. Navy admirals. His father John S. McCain, Jr. commanded American forces in Vietnam while McCain was a prisoner. His grandfather John S. McCain, Sr. commanded naval aviation at the battle of Okinawa in 1945. He attended Episcopal High School and graduated in 1954. That fall, McCain, like his father and grandfather, entered the United States Naval Academy. He graduated in 1958, and joked that he had followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom had graduated very low in their respective classes at Annapolis. McCain stood 895th out of a class of 900. In 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, a model originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple divorced in 1980.

Military career

File:Jmpolit01.jpg

Right:Lieutenant John McCain when he was an instructor in 1965 and 1966 with his squadron

After graduating from Annapolis, McCain reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida to begin training as a naval aviator. While in training, he suffered a mishap during which his aircraft crashed into Corpus Christi Bay, though he escaped. Eventually he graduated and entered the U.S. Navy's light attack community.

File:Nixon greets POW McCain.jpg

President Richard Nixon greets the released John McCain.

Originally McCain flew the propellor-driven A-1 Skyraider on cruises to Europe. During a trip to attend the Army-Navy Game, McCain suffered an engine failure and was forced to eject from his crippled aircraft. This rash of accidents was not uncommon during the era of McCain's Navy flying.

Vietnam

McCain escaped death once again on July 29, 1967. While the USS Forrestal steamed off the coast of Vietnam preparing to launch attacks, a Zuni rocket from an F-4 Phantom was accidentally fired across the carrier's deck. The rocket struck McCain's A-4E Skyhawk as the jet was preparing for launch. The impact ruptured the Skyhawk's fuel tank—after which leaking fuel ignited, knocking two bombs loose. McCain escaped from his jet by climbing out of the cockpit, walking down to the nose of the plane, and jumping off the nose boom onto the burning deck. Ninety seconds after the impact, the bomb exploded underneath the airplane. McCain was struck in the legs and chest by shrapnel. The ensuing fire killed 134 sailors, destroyed at least 20 aircraft, and threatened to sink the ship. Film shot aboard the Forrestal shows McCain narrowly escaping the explosion.

After the Forrestal incident, McCain joined the VA-163 Saints on board the Oriskany, which was short-handed after a separate incident on that ship. The Saints squadron and its parent Air Wing 16 suffered the highest loss rate of any Navy flying unit during the entire Vietnam War. This was due to the perilous missions assigned to it and to the aggressive demeanor of its aviators. On October 26, 1966, prior to McCain's transfer to that carrier, the mishandling of a flare had resulted in a deck fire (44 men lost their lives, including 24 pilots).

Prisoner of war

John McCain captured by North Vietnamese

On October 26, 1967, McCain was shot down in his A-4 Skyhawk over Vietnam, by an anti-aircraft missile, landing in Truc Bach Lake. McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five-and-a-half years, mostly in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He suffered two broken arms and a broken leg after ejecting from his plane. After he regained consciousness, a mob gathered around him and stripped him of his clothing. He was then tortured by Vietnamese soldiers who bayonetted him in his left foot and groin. His shoulder was crushed by another soldier's rifle butt. He was then transported to the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as Hanoi Hilton.

Once McCain arrived at the Hanoi Hilton, he was placed in a cell and interrogated daily. When McCain refused to provide any information to his captors, he was beaten until he lost consciousness.

Interview with McCain on April 24, 1974, after his return home.

When the North Vietnamese discovered his father was the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, (CINCPAC), in charge of all US forces in Vietnam, he was offered a chance to go home, in an effort to embarrass the American military. Senior POWs had ordered there would be no return home unless all POWs were permitted to, and McCain, as did most POWs, followed orders, and refused to be repatriated back to the United States.

McCain signed an anti-American propaganda message which was written in Vietnamese, but did so only as a result of torture (to this day, he cannot raise his arms above his head, due to his two broken shoulders from the severe beatings administered by the North Vietnamese). It is that period during his capture that he most regrets. After McCain signed the initial statement, the Vietnamese decided they could not use it. They tried to force him to sign a second statement. This time, he refused. He received two to three beatings per week because he refused to sign any more statements for his captors.

He was released from captivity in 1973. McCain was reinstated to flight status and became Commanding Officer of VA-174 Hellrazors, the East Coast A-7 Corsair II Navy training squadron. He then became the Navy's liaison to the Senate. He retired from the Navy in 1981 as a captain. On the same day he watched his father buried next to his grandfather in Arlington National Cemetery. During his military career he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

McCain is one of only three Vietnam veterans currently serving in the US Senate, the others being fellow Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts.

A TV movie entitled Faith Of My Fathers, based on McCain's memoir of his experiences as a POW, aired on Memorial Day, 2005 on A&E.

Political career

When John Jacob Rhodes, the longtime Republican congressman from Arizona's 1st congressional district, announced his retirement, McCain ran for the seat as a Republican in 1982 and won it. In 1986, upon Republican Senator Barry Goldwater's retirement, McCain was elected to succeed him.

Keating Five and other scandals

In the late 1980s McCain was named in the embarrassing Keating Five scandal in which he and four Democratic senators provided help to Charles Keating, who was secretly manipulating savings and loan banks. The Senate ethics committee's special counsel concluded in 1991 that McCain was not substantially involved in the influence-peddling scheme, but criticized him and three others for "questionable conduct". McCain remained in the Senate and made campaign finance reform a key legislative interest. He has subsequently remarked that he was, "shocked", and, "ashamed", of being involved in the matter, and has subsequently cited his experience with the Keating Five scandal as one of the driving forces behind his legislative efforts for campaign finance reform. However, he declined to take unilateral action in line with his recommendations, lest they give his opponents an advantage.

Though the Keating scandal was not fatal to his career, McCain often has been criticized on other counts. In 1991 he alienated much of his core constituency by calling upon the Navy to cut the 35-year ties to the Tailhook Association following a controversial meeting in Las Vegas, before the investigation had even begun. (Eventually the Navy restored relations with the association.)

As Arizona's senior senator, McCain has been heavily supported by the Indian casino industry. Critics say that he seemingly repaid the debt by sponsoring legislation that would prevent examination of possible pre-Indian remains, most notably Kennewick Man. [2]

2000 race for President

See also: United States presidential election, 2000

In 1997, TIME named him as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America". His best-selling family memoir, Faith of My Fathers (1999), helped propel his presidential run. McCain skipped the Iowa caucus, focusing instead on the New Hampshire primary. In visits to towns he gave a ten minute talk (focused on campaign reform issues), then announced he would stay until he answered every question that everyone had. He made over 200 stops, talking in every town in New Hampshire in an example of "retail politics" that overcame Bush's famous name. He won by a 60-40 landslide, and suddenly was the celebrity of the hour. Analysts predicted that a McCain victory in the South Carolina primary would give him unstoppable momentum. However, McCain made serious mistakes that slowed his momentum. In Virginia he began criticizing leaders of the religious right Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. McCain lost the Virginia primary and then lost the crucial state of South Carolina. Bush now regained the momentum. Analysts attribute McCain's loss in South Carolina to Bush's mobilization of the state's evangelical voters and to the perception among voters that McCain's campaign was too negative especially in regards to ads comparing Bush's honesty to President Clinton's. This perception was formed despite the presence of allegations of negative campaigning on both sides including a push polling campaign, where phone calls were made to conservative Republican voters in the Deep South, allegedly to ask them whether they would support McCain if he had an illegitimate interracial daughter with a black woman. McCain in fact had an adopted daughter from Bangladesh. Accounts of this are covered in the books, Bush's Brain and Boy Genius. Additionally conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh entered the fray supporting Bush.

McCain never recovered from his defeat in South Carolina, although he did bounce back a bit by winning in Michigan, before going on to lose 9 of the 13 primaries on Super Tuesday. His overall loss on that day has been attributed to his going "off message", ineffectively accusing Bush of being anti-Catholic in response to his visit to Bob Jones University and getting into a verbal battle with leaders of the Religious Right. McCain was also criticized for his continued use of an ethnic slur in reference to his Vietnamese captors. He told reporters, "I hate the gooks.... I will hate them as long as I live." At first, he stood by his use of the slur, saying that it was "the kindest, the kindest description I can give them." Amid heavy criticism, McCain later reversed his position and apologized. McCain would go on to win a few more primaries (Massachusetts, Arizona, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont), but in a two-man contest he was unable to catch up. Though he apologized for his usage of the racial slur "gook," he had aroused the ire of Asian Americans due to the delay of an apology for such an obvious transgression. It is also speculated that this is the cause of McCain losing the California and New York primaries due to their large Asian American demographic.

2004 race for President

See also: United States presidential election, 2004

McCain publicly supported Bush in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. He often praised Bush's leadership and continuing zeal after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and in that light less important issues could be pushed aside. McCain's reputation as a moderate appealed to many voters who found Bush too conservative, and in the 2000 elections, many saw Bush as the more conservative candidate and McCain as the more moderate candidate. In fact, according to voteview.com, McCain's voting record in the 109th Congress is the third most conservative (as of November 2005). On the other hand, his voting record during the 107th Congress, from January 2001 through November of 2002, places him as the 6th most liberal Republican senator, according to the same data and analysis at voteview.com.

There was some speculation that McCain's longtime friend and colleague, and also the Democratic Presidential nominee, John Kerry of Massachusetts would ask McCain to be his running mate. This prompted Bush to run an advertisement called "The First Choice" showing clips of McCain praising Bush. Furthermore, the GOP used this information to ridicule Kerry's eventual running mate, one-term Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

McCain accused the Swift Boat Vet campaign against his longtime friend John Kerry of being "dishonest and dishonorable".

2008 race for President

See also: United States presidential election, 2008

Many current polls have Senator McCain as one of the leading candidates in the 2008 Republican primary, but McCain has not given a definitive answer as to whether or not he will pursue the nomination in 2008 as a Republican. In the June 2005 edition of Men's Journal magazine, McCain said that he "absolutely" would like to be President of the United States, but has not yet decided whether or not he will run again in 2008. He indicated that he would probably not make a firm decision until 2007 about another run at the White House, citing family and Senate responsibilities. On an episode of the television show The View, aired November 8, 2005, McCain remarked he would only make a decision after the 2006 mid-term elections.

On 1st October 2006 at the Conservative Party Annual Conference in Bournemouth, England, McCain spoke as a headline guest before the speech of party leader David Cameron. McCain stated openly his plans should he be elected President and was championed by Cameron, who compared it with the appearance of Bill Clinton at the Labour Party conference days before by saying "They got the last President of the United States, we wanted the next one".

He will be 72 by the time the elections roll around in 2008, making him three years older than the oldest elected president Ronald Reagan, but he has dismissed concerns about his age and past health concerns (malignant melanoma in 2000), stating that his condition was "excellent." Should McCain win in 2008 and subsequently win re-election in 2012, McCain would be the oldest president to serve, being expected to leave office in January 2017 at 80 years old.

McCain's oft-cited strengths as a presidential candidate in 2008 include national name recognition, ties to lobbying and campaign finance reform initiatives, military service (including time as a POW), running a former presidential campaign in 2000, veteran fund-raising abilities, strong advocacy for President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, and appeal to independent voters.

His weaknesses include his age and strained relations with some elements of the Republican Party base. Some Republicans are wary of McCain's positions, including McCain's Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which they charge would undermine First Amendment free speech protections, and the fact that he has sometimes sided with Democrats on issues such as global warming and President Bush's 2001 tax cuts. McCain has won mixed reviews for his handling of judicial nominations, drawing criticism from some conservatives for his leadership in the Gang of 14 deal on judicial filibusters, an outcry which was later tempered by the agreement's perceived success in averting a filibuster against U.S. Supreme Court nominees John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who won confirmation. However, these same positions are also the reasons why political moderates might support McCain in a presidential election. One area where McCain has largely won support from conservatives is in his aggressive defense of the Iraq War.

In May 2006, McCain gave the commencement address at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. During his 2000 presidential bid, McCain had called the Fundamentalist Baptist pastor, Falwell, an "agent of intolerance." With significant coverage during the campaign, McCain said that he would never back down from his earlier statement. His later appearance at Liberty University prompted questions about the McCain-Falwell relationship and a possible presidential run in 2008. McCain stated that Falwell is no longer that divisive figure and the two have discussed their shared values. McCain delivered a similar address at The New School commencement in Madison Square Garden. McCain was received by boos, jeers, and several students and professors turned their backs or waved fliers reading "McCain does not speak for me." McCain's speech mentioned his unwavering support for the Iraq War and focused on hearing opposing viewpoints, listening to each other, and the relevance of opposition in a democracy.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, if he runs, is considered by the pundits to be McCain's chief rival for the GOP nomination. The most recently-taken GOP survey, conducted by the American Polling Research Institute (June 13-16, 2006), shows McCain in third place with 20% of the GOP vote for his party's nomination, behind Condoleezza Rice (30%) and Rudy Giuliani (21%). After McCain are Newt Gingrich (8%), Mitt Romney (7%), George Allen (5%), Mike Huckabee (3%) and Bill Frist (2%). In a hypothetical general election, McCain beat Sen. Hillary Clinton by a 46%-42% margin, while Rice and Giuliani bested Clinton by a 53%-47% and a 49%-40% margin, respectively. Highlighting McCain's complex relationship with his own party, a recent Gallup survey reported that 4 in 10 Republicans would find McCain an "unacceptable" choice for the 2008 GOP nomination. Among well-known figures in the Republican Party, this places him behind Giuliani (73% acceptable, 25% unacceptable) and Condoleezza Rice (68%-29%), and ahead of Newt Gingrich (45%-50%), Jeb Bush (44%-52%), and Dick Cheney (34%-61%).

Political views

McCain has shown some willingness to break with the party line. Some conservatives have argued that McCain's voting record is more liberal fiscally than most Republicans, causing them to attack him in 2000 as too liberal—as a "Republican In Name Only." He was one of only four Republicans in the entire U.S. Congress to vote against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. He was the only Republican senator to vote against the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which he called "the biggest rip-off since the Teapot Dome scandal." He was also the only Republican senator to vote against the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, which phased out many of the farming subsidy programs put into place during the Great Depression. During the Republican primaries he contrasted his position with that of Governor Bush by noting that he supported tax relief that helped payers making under $75,000. In 2001, he voted for a few amendments to decrease the cuts aimed at upper-income taxpayers and increase the relief aimed at those taxpayers towards the bottom of the scale. He ultimately voted against the second tax cut passed in 2003 and has been vocal in his opposition to permanently eliminating the inheritance tax.

Foreign policy

McCain has consistently shown himself to be a prominent "hawk" on foreign policy. McCain supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. decision to overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime, of a continued, and increased, military presence, and most of Bush's foreign policies. His speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention centered around that theme. Despite offering support for war, McCain has urged the Bush administration to make "significant policy changes" in the Iraq War; yet, "stay the course." He criticized The Pentagon several times, most notably concerning low troop strength in Iraq, and has called for a diversification of Iraqi national forces to better represent the multiple ethnic groups contained within the country. He stated that the United States government must do more to keep public support high for the war, stressing that "America, Iraq and the world are better off with Saddam Hussein in prison rather than in power…and we must honor their sacrifice by seeing this mission through to victory." McCain's full speech on the matter from mid-November 2005 can be read at his Senate website.

Congressional spending

McCain has strenuously crusaded against pork barrel spending. McCain was principally responsible for forcing a re-evaluation of the USAF KC-767 leasing contract. He once fought against funding the construction of a new aircraft carrier, saying the money should be spent on the 12,000 enlisted families who were on food stamps. He has also criticized both political parties for refusing to sacrifice President Bush's tax cuts and spending agendas in wartime. His concerns over global warming and other environmental issues have put him at odds with the Bush administration and other Republicans. In addition, he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, reaffirming his attempt to position himself as a political moderate. However, McCain is also pro-life and said in 2006 that he would have signed the South Dakota legislation banning all medical abortions, although he supports abortion before a life-saving operation is performed on the mother, and for children of rape and incest. McCain additionally voted with the overwhelming majority of his fellow senators in the Republican caucus to impeach and remove Bill Clinton from office during the president's 1999 trial.

Illegal Immigration

McCain has initiated legislation to find a solution to illegal immigration through guest worker programs. His legislation coauthored with Senator Kennedy was a major focus of debate in 2006. He has supported some moves to expand immigration to the US-including expansion of the H-1B visa program (though H-1B is technically a non-immigrant visa). In 2005, he co-sponsored a bill with Ted Kennedy that would expand use of guest worker visas. However, he voted for the permanent ban on the immigration of individuals living with HIV. Speaking about the immigration reform protests, McCain warned the Hispanic community that it may experience a backlash if too many Hispanic flags were flown during the protests. McCain has criticized conservatives like Rush Limbaugh for not supporting more lenient immigration laws. They in turn have criticized McCain for being a liberal on this issue.

Education

McCain has announced that he supports the inclusion of intelligent design teaching in schools. In 2005, McCain told the Arizona Daily Star that he believes "all points of view" should be available to students.

McCain is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research despite his earlier opposition to the research.

After a controversial meeting in Kuwait, he stated that he had "no confidence" in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but refused to act on his words to call for his resignation, explaining that President Bush "can have the team that he wants around him."

Mideast

McCain firmly supports the State of Israel. He demonstrated his strong support when he made a speech addressing AIPAC on April 23, 2002.. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, McCain said Israel's response to the assault by Islamic guerrillas is "appropriate." "What would we do if somebody came across our borders and killed our soldiers and captured our soldiers?," says McCain. "Do you think we would be exercising total restraint?" Such restraint should come from Hezbollah and the nations sponsoring it, notably Iran, McCain said in remarks that became a freewheeling, far-reaching speech on foreign policy, including his views on matters involving North Korea, Iraq and the U.S. war on terrorism. McCain's brother, Joe McCain, has written a popular speech on Israel, Jews and anti-Semitism.

Campaign finance

Since his involvement in the Keating Five scandal, one of McCain's main passions in his national political career has been the topic of campaign finance reform. In spite of voting against such measures initially, since 1992, McCain has repeatedly tried to pass legislation regulating campaign financing, finally achieving a major victory in 2002. That year, Congress passed a key "campaign finance reform bill", the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002", co-sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold and hence also known as the McCain-Feingold bill. It was immediately challenged on free speech grounds. The American Civil Liberties Union argued publicly that it "believes that key elements of Shays-Meehan (House version of "McCain-Feingold") violate the First Amendment right to free speech because the legislation contains provisions that would violate the constitutionally protected right of the people to express their opinions about issues through broadcast advertising if they mention the name of a candidate and restrict soft money contributions and uses of soft money for no constitutionally justifiable reason."

The new law was narrowly upheld by the Supreme Court on December 10, 2003, in an expedited hearing and ruling.

In 2006, McCain and Congressional allies proposed further controls and regulations on campaigning, advocating and politicking. Their proposed lobbying reform legislation would require extensive record keeping, accounting, financial controls and oversight from organizations, individuals and firms which engage in any activities that might be construed as lobbying, advertising for/against, organizing against or petitioning legislators and government officials.

"Gang of 14" and Senate filibuster

Main article: Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, McCain was one of fourteen "moderate" senators to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster, thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the so-called "nuclear option". Under the agreement, senators would retain the power to filibuster a judicial nominee, the Democrats would agree to use this power against Bush nominees only in an "extraordinary circumstance", the Republicans involved would agree to vote against the nuclear option if implemented, and three of the most contested Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) would receive a vote by the full Senate.

Detention of extrajudicial prisoners

Main article: McCain Detainee Amendment

Torture

McCain, whose six years of captivity and torture in Vietnam made him a national celebrity, negotiated (in September 2006) a compromise in the Senate, suspending habeas corpus provisions for anyone deemed by the Executive Branch an "unlawful combatant" and barring them from challenging their detentions in court. (McCain himself was tortured in Vietnam, signing a false confession in 1968.) Coming on the heels of a Supreme Court decision adverse to the White House, McCain's compromise gave a retroactive, nine-year immunity to U.S. officials who authorized, ordered, or committed acts of torture and abuse, and permitted the use of statements obtained through torture to be used in military tribunals so long as the abuse took place by December 30, 2005. McCain's compromise permitted the President to establish permissible interrogation techniques and to "interpret the meaning and application" of international Geneva Convention standards, so long as the coercion fell short of serious bodily or psychological injury.

Senator McCain, as a former POW, has particular sensitivity to the issue of the detention and interrogation of detainees from the War on Terror. On October 3, 2005, Senator McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005. On October 5, 2005, the United States Senate voted 90-9 to support the amendment.

This amendment would establish FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation as the standard for interrogation of all detainees held in Department of Defense custody, including those held by the Central Intelligence Agency in the War on Terror. The amendment would prohibit cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment and follow sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Amendment was initially opposed by the Bush administration, particularly Vice-President Dick Cheney. Before the vote supporting the amendment, the White House threatened to veto any language limiting the use of torture on suspected terrorists. However, due to the size of the majority voting in favor, this was not an option. The White House then sought alternative language which would exempt CIA operatives from the ban. The Senate refused the compromise.

On December 15, 2005, President Bush announced that he accepted McCain's terms and will "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad." President Bush made clear his interpretation of this legislation on December 30th, 2005, in a signing statement, reserving what he interpreted to be his Presidential constitutional authority in order to avoid further terrorist attacks.

• Senator McCain's Newsweek Article: "Torture's Terrible Toll".

McCain argues that American military and intelligence personnel in future wars will suffer for abuses committed in 2006 by the US in the name of fighting terrorism. He fears the administration's policy will put American prisoners at risk of torture, summary executions and other atrocities by chipping away at Geneva Convention. He argues that his rival bill to Bush’s plan gives defendants access to classified evidence being used to convict them and will set tight limits on use of testimony obtained by coercion. Furthermore it offers CIA interrogators some legal protections from charges of abuse, but rejects the administration’s plan to more narrowly define the Geneva Conventions’ standards for humane treatment of prisoners. McCain insists this issue overrides politics. McCain's words on this issue make his recent capitulation on the White House's initiative to deny Habeas Corpus for enemy combatants all the more surprising.

Controversies

• In 1998, McCain was chastised for reportedly making an off-color joke at a Republican fundraiser about President Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, saying "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." McCain later apologized to President Clinton and Clinton accepted his apology.

• McCain has acknowledged engaging in extramarital affairs upon returning from Vietnam. While he was in Vietnam, his wife Carol had been severely injured in a car accident. Upon returning home in 1973, McCain found his wife to be very different from when he had married her. He soon began engaging in extramarital affairs and in 1979, he met Cindy Hensley. A year later, McCain sought a divorce from Carol and a month after that, he married Cindy. McCain remains on good terms with Carol, who said in 2000, "I'm crazy about John McCain and I love him to pieces." Carol has supported McCain in every election of his career, including his run for the presidency in 2000.

• Joan Molinaro, Bruce De Cell, Grace Godshalk and Peter Gadiel of "9/11 Families for a Secure America" accused McCain of "screaming at them" during a chance encounter with McCain when they criticized his proposed immigration reform bills, which they felt were not strict enough in stopping terrorists from crossing the southern border.

• McCain is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Republican Institute, which has been accused by a former U.S. ambassador to Haiti of undermining negotiations between Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his opposition after the contested 2000 election.

Appearances on radio, television and in movies

McCain has made appearances in various entertainment media. He was criticized for his cameo in the 2005 summer movie Wedding Crashers. It prompted some critics to accuse McCain of hypocrisy due to his earlier criticisms of Hollywood for creating too many movies of that style . Matt Drudge of the conservative Drudge Report, commenting on McCain's appearance, referred to the film as a "boob raunch fest." McCain responded during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno by joking that he is "working with boobs all the time in Washington.".

McCain hosted the October 12, 2002 episode of Saturday Night Live, making him the second U.S. Senator to host the show (the first was Senator Paul Simon, see here).

He is a frequent guest on the nationally syndicated radio program Imus in the Morning.

McCain has appeared as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at least six times - most recently on July 24, 2006 - and has also given video interviews to the program. One of his interviews with Stewart can be found on The Daily Show's Indecision 2004 DVD set.

In the 2005 documentary Why We Fight by Eugene Jarecki, McCain is interviewed and gives his opinion on the ties between Dick Cheney and Halliburton.

During a November 2005 appearance on The View, McCain was asked about the rumors of a possible run for president in 2008. McCain responded, "Except for making my kids sing Hail to the Chief, I never think of myself as president."

He appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2005 in a bit entitled Secrets.

McCain made a cameo appearance on the fifth season of 24 from the FOX network. The episode, in which McCain had a non-speaking role as an unidentified bureaucrat who delivers a file folder to one of the characters, was broadcast in the United States on February 6, 2006.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 15, 2006, McCain was again asked about running for office in 2008. His response was a comment generally stating that “…as a senator, I am always a candidate for being the next President.” McCain went on to remark how suitable a place the Tonight Show was for announcing political campaigns, referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement on the show four years earlier for his run for the office of Governor of California.

Personal life

McCain lives with his second wife Cindy Hensley McCain in Phoenix. She is the chairman of the large Anheuser-Busch beer and liquor distributor Hensley Distributing founded by her father. Cindy suffered a stroke in April 2004 due to high blood pressure, but appears to have made a full recovery.

McCain is a member of the Episcopal Church.

McCain has been treated for recurrent skin cancer, including melanoma, in 1993, 2000, and 2002. Some media sources have suggested that this may be linked to his heavy sun exposure in Vietnam. Since then he has become active in promoting awareness of skin cancers.

He has seven children and four grandchildren. McCain adopted his first wife Carol's sons (Doug and Andy), and he and Carol had a daughter, (Sydney). John has three biological children with his wife Cindy — Meghan, Columbia University (2007); John Sidney IV (Jack), United States Naval Academy (2009); and James, Brophy College Preparatory (2006); plus he and Cindy adopted their youngest daughter (Bridget) after discovering her in a Bangladeshi orphanage run by Mother Teresa. McCain's son James enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2006, and will begin recruit training in September 2006. ^ cite news In April of 2006, David Jason Silver, National Political Liaison of the San Tan Pride Association contacted his office asking for assistance in obtaining a decommissioned Naval Anchor for the Nathan Martin Memorial. In September of 2006, the Dept of the Navy confirmed a 5 year loan.[2]

Awards

On September 28, 2005, The Eisenhower Institute awarded him the Eisenhower Leadership Prize. The prize recognizes individuals whose lifetime accomplishments reflect Dwight D. Eisenhower’s legacy of integrity and leadership. McCain became an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College Dublin in December 2004

Trivia

• Senator McCain is a close personal friend of Sopranos actors James Gandolfini and Tony Sirico, as well as musician Alice Cooper and radio talk show host Don Imus.
• Senator McCain tried to persuade FIFA to ban Iran from the 2006 World Cup. given Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments that the Holocaust never happened (which is a criminal offense in Germany).
• A 2005 made-for-TV movie, "Faith of My Fathers," was based on John McCain's memoirs of his experience in the Vietnam War.
• Senator McCain played a cameo role on an episode of 24 - Season 5.

Works

• Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, October 2005) ISBN 1-4000-6412-0
• Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, April 2004) ISBN 1-4000-6030-3
• Odysseus in America by Jonathan Shay, Max Cleland, John S. McCain (Scribner, November 2002) ISBN 0-7432-1156-1
• Worth the Fighting for: A Memoir by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, September 2002) ISBN 0-375-50542-3
• Unfinished Business: Afghanistan, the Middle East and Beyond--Defusing the Dangers That Threaten America's Security by Harlan Ullman, John S. McCain (Citadel Press, June 2002) ISBN 0-8065-2431-6
• Faith of My Fathers by John McCain, Mark Salter (Random House, August 1999) ISBN 0-375-50191-6
• The Reminiscences of Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., U.S. Navy (retired) by John S. McCain (U.S. Naval Institute, 1999) ISBN B0006RY8ZK

See also

• International Republican Institute
• Whisper campaign

Further Reading

• Michael Barone, et al. The Almanac of American Politics: 2006 (2005) pp 93-98

References

^ cite news In April of 2006, David Jason Silver, National Political Liaison of the San Tan Pride Association contacted his office asking for assistance in obtaining a decommissioned Naval Anchor for the Nathan Martin Memorial. In September of 2006, the Dept of the Navy confirmed a 5 year loan.[2]

External links

• John McCain's Senate website
• Senator John McCain's Straight Talk America
• TIME Magazine Story - John McCain: The Mainstreamer - America's 10 Best Senators
• The Draft McCain Movement - primary website advocating for a John McCain presidency in 2008
• Students for McCain - A grassroots student movement advocating for Senator McCain to run for President
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• Arizona Republic's Seven Chapter Special on John McCain, 1999
• Sen. John McCain - 2008 Presidential Wire
• Nation Magazine Cover Story: The Real John McCain
• Senator John McCain Offers 10 Ways That You, Too, Can Support The War Effort
• Senator John S. McCain's Acceptance Remarks at the 2005 Eisenhower Leadership Prize Banquet
• Why Is McCain So Supportive Of Bush & Cheney?
• McCain interview
• 2008 Republican Rankings (by Democrats)
• John McCain on the Issues List of issue positions and quotes
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• A look at John McCain on the POW/MIA Issue by The Village Voice
• YouTube video of the Forrestal accident