John McCain

Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) is this country's national hero. He has spent his life serving his country, and no one else is better prepared to lead on day one of the presidency.

McCain does not pander or rely on fear tactics. Every decision he makes comes from firm convictions, and he does not vacillate based on the political winds. McCain does what is right - what a strong leader must do - and not necessarily what is popular. He has put his political career at risk many times to defend an unpopular position in which he believed.

In the war on terror, McCain knows that surrendering is not option. He understands that if we leave Iraq prematurely, our enemies will follow us home and take the war to our own soil.

He supported the surge strategy from the very beginning of the war in Iraq - a strategy that our troops report is now working. This war has been terribly mismanaged, and McCain has been one of the toughest critics of the Pentagon's mistakes.

Now that the strategy is working, McCain has the sound judgment to give Gen. David Petraeus GS '85 time to secure victory in Iraq. There is no advocate for a strong national defense who better understands what is at stake in this war.

He is right about Iraq, and he is right about his zero tolerance for torture practices like waterboarding. America must distinguish itself from its enemies by the manner in which it treats its enemies.

McCain is a consistent conservative. He has never voted for a tax increase, and he never will. He is fighting to make the Bush tax cuts permanent while leading the crusade to eliminate earmarks and wasteful government spending. As president, he will veto every pork-laden spending bill that comes across his desk. He has taken on special-interest contractors and proven that he is beholden to no lobby.

In Congress, McCain has earned the respect of his colleagues and demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle to pass landmark bipartisan legislation. He spearheaded the effort to bring about the most significant campaign finance reform in decades.

With regard to illegal immigration, McCain recognizes that the first step needs to be securing our nation's borders. Unlike other candidates, however, McCain knows that deporting 10 million illegal aliens is neither sensible nor humane. He believes in passing comprehensive immigration reform to establish a guest-worker program that would bring illegal aliens out of the woodwork and allow immigrants to enter the country to earn money legally.

McCain is also the only Republican candidate who has embraced the need to confront global climate change and invest in alternative energy sources.

He does not merely speak about the importance of change but has fought for change for over 20 years in Washington. McCain has the record to back up his rhetoric.

He compels us to believe in something greater than our own self-interest. McCain is the candidate of experience, honor and courage, but most of all, he is the candidate of integrity.