OPINION & EDITORIAL
McCain deserves your vote
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by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Thursday, February 14, 2008
As Americans grow frustrated with a national government incapable of finding compromise on pressing domestic concerns, they search for a president who can reach across the aisle to get results. Sen. John McCain’s 20 years in Congress have proven his willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion to do the people’s work, and he is the clear choice for the Republican nomination.
Indeed, Mr. McCain has a long history of promoting ethical government, repeatedly standing against pork barrel spending — earmarks quietly slipped into legislation that expand the federal deficit — and enraging some fellow lawmakers in the process. Further, he was a strong advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, working hard to pass the failed legislation despite obvious consequences for his standing with many conservatives. This country needs a president who is willing to put progress over partisan politics, and we strongly believe that is one of John McCain’s best qualities.
Among Mr. McCain’s accomplishments is his involvement in the “Gang of 14,” a group of moderate Democrats and Republicans who pulled the Senate away from the precipice of institutional collapse in 2005. Mr. McCain and his Republican colleagues negotiated with Democrats to approve a slate of conservative Bush administration federal court nominees and reject the remaining candidates. His swift action helped avert the “nuclear option,” in which Republicans threatened to use an arcane procedure to end the filibuster of a court nominee by simple majority vote, and Democrats promised to respond by using obscure parliamentary roadblocks to halt most work in Congress.
Mr. McCain is also a decorated war hero, whose character has been greatly influenced by his solitary confinement and torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese. He remains steadfastly opposed to torture in America’s efforts to combat terrorism, despite the unpopularity of that stance with many in his party. If Mr. McCain believes “waterboarding” is a form of torture, we urge his Republican colleagues to take his word for it.
Of course, Mr. McCain’s campaign is not without blemish. He has made a number of troubling statements, including suggesting Americans would not be “concerned” if U.S. forces occupy Iraq for 10,000 years and responding to a question by singing “bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys song. We hope any president would not be so cavalier about the specter of war. Mr. McCain also has a grim history of understating the depth of the challenges in Iraq, culminating with his infamous remark comparing a Baghdad market surrounded by an extensive security detail to Indiana.
Nonetheless, his Iraq war policy is not substantively different from that of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the only other Republican candidate campaigning in Wisconsin. What’s more, Mr. McCain certainly has a broader range of foreign policy experience than does Mr. Huckabee. Despite any philosophical disagreements we may have with him, Mr. McCain’s foreign affairs résumé is unassailable.
We believe a McCain presidency could usher in an era of collective compromise for the greater good. His foremost political asset is that he has firm convictions, and chief among those is that those in power must work together to do the work of the citizenry.
Anonymous (February 16, 2008 @ 6:26am):
this a typical response from a typically ignorant group known as as the badger herald editorial board. you'd think they'd do even a modicum of research before supporting this extreme and dangerous man, but of course why would they when that entails actually having to think?
john mccain is a two-faced, war-mongering liar who would continue the same foreign policy mistakes of the bush administration while leading us into war with iran, as he has stated clearly and consistently.
this would devastate the united states on so many levels, it's hard to even know where to begin. yet john mccain has told us, in no uncertain terms, that iran is next on the agenda. suffice it to say that this editorial board is completely ignorant on this issue
if you'd like to be far more informed than this utterly uninformed and irresponsible group. then check out the following to see the REAL john mccain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y395Tftgz0E
and if you'd like to hear his thoughts about attacking iran, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg
the badger editorial board should be ashamed of themselves for their abysmal failure to do even the slightest bit of research on this twisted individual.
Anonymous (February 16, 2008 @ 6:44am):
and the worst part of it all, is they do not even mention the greatest candidate of them all, ron paul.
in essence, his platform is to: bring back fiscal responsibility, restore habeas corpus, eliminate aggressive wars and only justify them through collective and congressional agreement, rebuild the middle class, close our 700+ overseas bases thus saving billions of dollars, end warrantless searches, remove "torture" from our lexicon, reinstate constitutional powers, refuse to use immigration as a wedge issue, and restore dignity to our nation through humility and justice.
he has: never voted for an unbalanced budget; never voted raise taxes; never voted for a congressional pay raise; never voted to increase the power of the executive branch; and has never taken a government-paid junket. he voted against regulating the internet, against the iraq war, and against the patriot act. he does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program, and he returns a portion of his office's budget to the treasury every. futhermore, he has been married to the same woman for fifty years, and is a former obstetrician, who has delivered over 3,000 babies.
but of course, the badger herald editorial staff does not see ANY of this as even worth a mention.
unbelievable.
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