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John McCain
| Overview |
One of the nation’s most prominent war heroes, John McCain is the son and grandson of Navy admirals.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958, he went on to serve as a fighter pilot in Vietnam
where he was shot down during a bombing mission in 1967. McCain landed in a lake with a broken leg and
two broken arms, and spent 5 ½ years as a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton." Although he underwent
severe beatings and torture, McCain refused an offer of early release ahead of soldiers captured earlier.
"There’s an aura about him," said McCain biographer Robert Timberg. "It’s not mystical -- it’s really
kind of concrete. ... The stuff that McCain survived and did in prison was awesome. And you can’t forget that."
After returning home, McCain was assigned the position of Navy liaison to the U.S. Senate and gave
up his career as a fighter pilot. "It became apparent I wasn’t going to be able to pass my next physical
for flying status," he said in an interview. "I wasn’t going to be able to match up with my father and
grandfather -- which I might not have anyway, even if I’d been in perfect health."
McCain eventually retired from the Navy, remarried and moved to Arizona, his new wife’s home state.
In 1981, John Rhodes, the House Republican leader, gave up his seat in the Phoenix suburbs and
McCain made a run for the position. He won and was reelected in 1984. In 1986, Sen. Barry M.
Goldwater, R-Ariz., retired and McCain soon filled his seat. He has been reelected to the
Senate every term since then.
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| Stats |
| Name |
John Sidney McCain, III |
| Party |
Republican |
| Status |
Announced candidacy April 13,
1999 via news release (original announcement tour was cancelled due to Kosovo strikes);
Made a formal announcement on September 27, 1999 in Nashua, New Hampshire |
| Age on Inauguration Day 2001 |
64 |
| Born |
August 29, 1936 in Panama Canal Zone, Panama |
| Residence |
Phoenix, Arizona |
| Education |
Graduate work, National War College (1973-74); B.S., U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis (1958)
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| Family |
Married to Cindy McCain; has
seven children -- Doug, born October 4, 1959; Andy, born May 12, 1962; and Sidney,
born September 2, 1966 from first marriage to Carol Shepp. Meghan, born October 23, 1984;
Jack, born May 2, 1986; Jimmy, born May 21, 1988; and Bridget,
born July 21, 1991, from second marriage to the former Cindy Hensley
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| Religion |
Episcopalian |
| Political Experience |
U.S. Senator from Arizona (1987-present); National Security Advisor to Dole/Kemp presidential
campaign (1996); U.S. Representative from Arizona's 1st district (1983-1987)
Director, Navy Senate Liaison Office, Washington, 1977-81.
U.S. representative from Arizona, 1982-86. U.S. senator from Arizona, 1987-present.
Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, 1995-present.
Republican candidate for president, 1999.
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| Military Service |
Commander Ensign, U.S. Navy (1958-1981); promoted to Captain in 1979); Navy pilot,
1967. Prisoner of war, Hanoi, Vietnam (1967-73). Executive officer, Commanding officer,
Attack Squadron 174 (1974-77).
Received Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross
Vietnamese Legion of Honor. American Legion. VFW.
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| Campaign Office |
McCain 2000
1158 E. Missouri
Suite 140
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Phone: 1-602-604-2000
Web site: N/A |
| Political Stance |
| Social Security |
Preserving Social Security benefits is a key
issue for McCain. Everyone who has worked and invested in the Social Security system
must be guaranteed to receive the benefits they were promised, he says. McCain’s plan
would devote 62 percent of the budget surplus to shoring up the Social Security program,
and would lock up the Social Security Trust Fund from use in special interest programs. |
| Foreign Policy |
McCain strongly supported the expansion of NATO
as well as NAFTA and the Uruguay Round. He has, however, been an outspoken critic of the Clinton
Administration's foreign policy decisions describing them as flawed by strategic incoherence and self-doubt.
In particular, McCain decries U.S. foreign policy strategies in Iraq and North Korea, calling them vacillating
and reactive. He was also highly critical of the NATO air campaign in Kosovo.
McCain says the U.S. should focus on protecting its own interests overseas and
be more selective about involvement in regional conflicts. |
| China |
McCain supports engagement with China but cautions that
Engagement is not surrender. While he opposes revoking normal trade status with China,
McCain warns against pursuing a partnership at the expense of U.S. security. He calls the
Clinton Administration’s policies toward China strangely relaxed and accuses President
Clinton of overlooking national security lapses in exchange for political support. |
| Abortion |
McCain opposes the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court
decision. He also co-sponsored a measure in the U.S. Senate to ban partial birth abortions,
and opposes federal funding for international organizations that provide abortions. However,
McCain says abortions are permissible in cases of rape, incest and instances when the life of
the mother is endangered. |
| Personal Drug Use |
No,spokesman Howard Opinsky said when asked about past drug use.
He doesn’t have anything to say about what others have to say. And the question about what is
appropriate or not is going to be made by the media and the voters. He realizes it is part of running for
office, said Opinsky. |
| Education |
McCain supports school vouchers and says he is
fighting to stop Washington bureaucrats and public education unions from dictating education policies.
McCain argues that parents and school districts should have greater control over funding
and hiring decisions. In 1999, he introduced the Ed-ACT, or Educating America's Children for Tomorrow, which
would give millions in federal funding directly to local schools, authorize payment vouchers,
and allow a $500 tax credit for voluntary contributions to public and private schools. |
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