Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Affirmative Case for McCain - Part I

The Affirmative Case: Mark for McCain

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By Mark Impomeni, Oct 30th 2008 10:13AM, Filed Under: Endorsements, Republicans, John McCain, Featured Stories, 2008 President

The concept behind this series, the Affirmative Case, is for each of the writers here at Political Machine to make an endorsement for president based solely on the attributes of their chosen candidate.

While it is a worthwhile exercise to argue for a candidate's election rather than against another's, the concept, I think, does not necessarily reflect the way voters vote. Elections are contested between competing candidates, each with differing philosophies, policies, character, and experiences. Voters must make judgments between the competitors and that judgment must include a comparison of the available choices. It is perfectly legitimate for any voter to make their decision based upon negative attitudes toward one or more candidates based on his or her policies, plans, temperament, character, and experience. This format assumes that the available choices in this election are equal. I find that to be far from the case.

Nevertheless, with that objection stated up front, I will proceed to make my case for the election of Sen. John McCain as the 44th President of the United States.

Sen. McCain is a true American hero. In a time when the meaning of words like courage, sacrifice, honor, and heroism are being defined downward, John McCain exemplifies the true nature of each. Everybody knows by now that McCain spent over five years as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese prison camp; during which time he was brutally tortured, leaving him severely physically limited to this day. But fewer realize that almost none of it was necessary and all of it was practically voluntary.

After nearly being killed in a devastating fire aboard the U.S.S. Forrestal, during which McCain displayed great heroism in rescuing another pilot pinned down by the flames, McCain turned down a chance for rest and recovery and volunteered to fly missions from another undermanned ship. Not long afterward, he was shot down on a bombing run over Hanoi, one of the most dangerous sorties flown in the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese soon learned that McCain was the son of a high-level U.S. admiral, and they offered him early release. It would have been a propaganda coup for the North as well as a blow to the morale of the remaining P.O.W.s. McCain, badly injured in the crash and nearly dead from maltreatment at the hands of his captors, refused.

He chose to adhere to the honor code that said the first captured would be the first released. It was after McCain snubbed the North Vietnamese that his torture became much, much worse. It was a display of physical and mental courage, dedication to duty, and commitment to a personal code of honor that is rarely seen. And despite protests from some on the left, it is absolutely a qualification for president.On policy matters, the three most important issues in this election for conservatives are: the war on terror, the economy, and judges. John McCain espouses policies on each that are not just sound, they reflect his wisdom and experience in government. The war against radical Islamic extremists is the national security challenge of our time. It will span many successive American administrations, and it is imperative that the U.S. maintain a steady approach. Al-Qaeda's capabilities may have been degraded, but its desire to kill Americans has not been diminished.

John McCain understands that America must remain on offense against this determined enemy in all parts of the globe. McCain understands that different theaters will require different tactics at the same time. He will finish the job in Iraq while beefing up the effort in Afghanistan. He will bring our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines home in victory. It is an unheralded success of the Bush Administration that the United States has suffered no further attacks since September 11th. McCain is the only candidate in this election who will continue the successful policies that have kept America safe for the past seven years.The economy has surpassed the war on terror as the foremost issue in voters' minds. Sen. McCain is an advocate of tried and true economic policies that will help create jobs.

Although he voted against the Bush tax cuts of 2001, he now realizes that tax cuts are the surest way to prime the economic pump and get the economy moving. He will make the Bush tax cuts permanent for everyone, not just a chosen few. He will cut the corporate income tax rate to help stem outsourcing; and will cut the capital gains rate in half to spur investment.

In tough economic times families have to learn to make do with less. But liberals never seem to apply that metric to government. McCain will make sure of it. No one is a bigger deficit hawk than John McCain. He understands that the federal budget must be brought under control. He has built a career on fighting wasteful government spending and has never taken an earmark for a pet project. As president, McCain will veto every bill containing wasteful earmarks and force the federal government to control its profligate spending habits. He will not allow the government to take more of your money for Washington politicians to "spread around."The federal judiciary, by contrast, is not an issue that even registers in most voters' minds. But with judges playing an ever increasing role in ordinary Americans' lives, the makeup of the federal bench is critical. The next president could appoint as many as three Supreme Court Justices, to say nothing of the myriad lower level federal courts. As politicians push ever more and bigger political issues off on the courts, judges who understand and respect the role of the judiciary as enshrined by the Constitution are essential to protecting the people's primacy in deciding political questions.

John McCain supports judges who will decide cases based on the letter of the law and the Constitution, not dictate policy from the bench based on their personal preferences. McCain's commitment to good judges is rooted in principle, not ideology. That is evidenced in McCain's votes for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, two of the most liberal justices on the Supreme Court. McCain believes that when it comes to judges, elections have consequences. That is certainly true for this election.John McCain has spent his entire life fighting for America, both literally on the battlefield and figuratively in the halls of Congress.

If there is one candidate whose life experience, resume, and personal story demand his election, that candidate is John McCain. Americans tend to choose the fresh face when they choose a president. But the stakes in this election, both economic and security related, call for a steady, experienced hand at the wheel. I will be voting for John McCain on November 4th.

I strongly urge you to do the same.


Copyright, MCzwz, All Rights Reserved. Originally posted on www.thoughts.com/MCzwz/blog on 10/31/2008

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