2008 potential presidential candidates:

John McCain (R)

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John McCain has been called a war hero and a political maverick. His past relationship to the power brokers of the Republican Party's has suffered because of his resistance to their pork-barrel spending, as well as their policies allowing the torture of detainees, and oil drilling in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge. Also, he has supported stem-cell research, finance reform, and actions to curb global warming. He voted against the tax cuts of 2001 to 2003, saying (in 2001) that:

"I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle class Americans who need tax relief.

McCain has flip-flopped on some important issues. He originally

He no longer holds these opinions. ₁ He now favors the erection of a Berlin-style wall to discourage Mexicans from trying to enter the U.S. These raise a question of exactly what McCain's real beliefs are, and which he had adopted in order to improve his position in the polls.

Some recent position statements:

"I believe polarization of personnel and breakdown of unit effectiveness is too high a price to pay for well-intentioned but misguided efforts to elevate the interests of a minority of homosexual servicemembers above those of their units." ₃

Tonight at a packed rally in Atlanta, McCain repeated the call for clones. "I want to assure you that one of the great accomplishments of President Bush is we now have judges on the United States Supreme Court and judges who strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States of America," he said at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. "Two of the best of those are Judges [sic] Alito and Roberts. You can be very proud of them. My friends, I want to tell you, I will try to find clones of Alito and Roberts. I will try to find people just like them." ₄

James Dobson's personal statement on Senator John McCain:

On 2008-FEB-05, CitizenLink distributed a statement from James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist Christian group centered in Colorado Springs, CO. The release stated: "As voters in 24 states head to the polls today to choose a presidential nominee, Dr. James Dobson released a statement to The Laura Ingraham Show today. He stated his personal opinions of this critical election:"

"I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language.

"I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has sounded at times more like a member of the other party. McCain actually considered leaving the GOP caucus in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry's running mate in 2004. McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does NOT make the medicine go down. I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.

"But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country."

Although he states that he does not support candidates, his refusal to support Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama in effect means support for Mitt Romney -- the only other viable candidate as of early 2008-FEB. However Romney dropped out of the race a few days later, on FEB-07.

Republicans for Choice endorses McCain:

Republicans for Choice (RFC), are described by Focus on the Family Action as "a group of pro-abortion Republicans." Actually they describe themselves as being pro-choice. They believe that a woman who finds herself pregnant and does not want to continue the pregnancy should have access to an abortion.

They originally endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president, but he dropped out. Their number two choice, Sen. John McCain did win the Florida primary and went on to achieve a commanding lead against Mitt Romney and Ron Paul on Super Tuesday.

An article titled "Fasten your seat belts" on their website states:

"While [McCain] ... is personally 'pro life' he has time and again reached out and worked with people across the spectrum. We know we can work with him to create common ground that will allow moderates and conservatives to come together to rebuild the GOP."

"RFC joins with Rudy Giuliani in asking our supporters to consider McCain as they go to vote over the next few weeks."

"John is a true American hero with strong and consistent values. He will provide the leadership that will rebuild America's confidence in itself and among our allies worldwide."

"And John McCain's election will be a strong message to our enemies...you don't mess with John McCain, he can and will go the distance!" ₅

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. David Olive, "The alarming consequences of two John McCains," Toronto Star, 2008-FEB-03, Page ID1 and ID3.
2. David Edwards,"McCain: Homosexuality not a 'defect' or 'sin'," The Raw Story, 2006-NOV-20, at: http://www.rawstory.com/
3. "McCain on Homosexuality," 2007-MAY-11, Lots O' Thoughts blog, at: http://www.sldn.org/
4. Jake Trapper, "McCain Wants to Clone Alito and Roberts," ABC News, 2008-FEB-02, at: http://blogs.abcnews.com/
5. "Fasten your seat belts," Republicans for Choice, at: http://www.republicansforchoice.com/

Copyright © 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2008-FEB-03
Latest update: 2008-FEB-08
Author: B.A. Robinson