Bio sketch- John McCain

John Sidney McCain III, born August 29, 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, is the republican nominee of the 2008 presidential election. He graduated from the Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in 1954. In 1958 he graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis and he graduated from flight school in 1960. John McCain fought in the Vietnamese War and was offered early release but refused because it would violate military code of conduct. He spent five and a half years in prison camps, three in a half which in solitary confinement, where he was beaten and tortured. After he was released, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and a distinguished flying cross on March 14, 1973. McCain was introduced to politics when he was a navy liaison to the U.S senate in 1976. On May 17, 1980 he married Cindy Lou Hensley and they have four children together. In 1982 he was elected to political office in a seat fro the House of Representatives and was re-elected in 1984. In 1986 he won election the U.S. Senate and now he was both in the senate and the house. He was re-elected to the senate three times and every time it was majority vote. For the presidential nomination in 2000, McCain was a solid challenger fro George W. Bush, but on May 9, 2000, he endorsed Bush. In August 2000 he was diagnosed with skin cancer lesions and in 2001 he had prostate surgery. On April 25, 2007, he officially entered the presidential race for the 2008.

John McCain supported Bush’s bid for re-election, but differed on several issues. Those several issues are torture, pork barrel spending, illegal immigration, banning same sex marriage, and global warming. McCain supports the Iraq War, increased tobacco legislation, banning abortion, except with rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother. He also favors keeping the words “under god” in the pledge of allegiance, vouchers that allow students to attend public or private schools, faith-based initiatives, and tax credits that encourage individuals and families to purchase health insurance. Just like Obama, he wants to improve the environment. Some issues that he appears unsure about are illegal immigration, poverty, and stem cell research. He wants to make the borders stronger, but he says that the foreigners are highly skilled and may remain in America. Historically, he has voted against minimum wage increases, but voted for a bill to increase the federal minimum wage. Also he opposes stem cell research that uses cloned human embryos, but voted to allow research using human embryos left over from fertility treatments. Some issues he supports, some he is against, and some he just is not sure about.