Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Who Is He?: John McCain was born August 29, 1936, on American territory in the Panama Canal Zone. His father and grandfather both served as admirals in the U.S. Navy. McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958 and entered active military service where he eventually became a combat pilot in Vietnam. He was shot down in 1967 and served five and half years as a prisoner of war. In 1982 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district of Arizona, and in 1986 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000.

International Experience: McCain served in the U.S Navy from 1958 to 1981 with a variety of international postings, most notably combat duty in Vietnam. In his Senate career he has dealt with international issues while serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (where he also serves on the global climate change subcommittee).

Foreign Policy Positions: McCain voted in favor of the Iraq war, and he says the U.S. may need to increase the number of troops there to restore order. He has supported almost all of President Bush's "War on Terror" bills. McCain generally supports free trade. He has called for strong action(including a NATO-enforced "no fly" zone) to end genocide in Darfur. Global climate change is seen by some as McCain's "signature issue".

Citizens for Global Solutions gave McCain an F rating on foreign policy positions.

John McCain's Foreign Policy Statements:

• Foreign affairs statements cataloged on McCain's official U.S. Senate Web site
• NATO and the Future of International Peacekeeping, a February 2006 speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy
• Rescue Darfur Now, a September 2006 Washington Post opinion piece co-authored with former Senator Bob Dole

Campaign Links:

• Explore McCain
• Straight Talk America
• Students for McCain
• Candidate Profile, from the About Guide to U.S. Politics
• Candidate Profile, from the About Guide to Civil Liberties
• Candidate Profile, from the About Guide to Terrorism Issues

The Competition: Explore the foreign policy background of all major 2008 presidential candidates.