McCain Deserves His Party's Nomination By the Portland Press Herald (ME)

January 6, 2008

For the Republicans: Sen. John McCain's character makes him the best choice.

Unpopular political positions have a funny way of coming back in style. Leaders do best when they hold to their core beliefs, and weather the changes of public opinion.

That is much easier said than done, however, but one member of the Republican presidential field has distinguished himself by taking that hard approach. While we don't always agree with him, we admire his character, and endorse John McCain for the Republican nomination in 2008.

Six months ago, McCain watched as his national poll numbers plummeted, largely because of his close identification with the unpopular Iraq war and President Bush's surge strategy there.

From the beginning, McCain was one of the war's steadfast supporters, but also, characteristically, one of the biggest critics of the way that it was being fought. McCain questioned the strategy of sending just enough troops to topple Sadam Hussein, but not enough to control the country in the aftermath. The surge was, in effect, an adoption of the McCain doctrine.

Today, the surge has succeeded in reducing insurgent activities within the Sunni Triangle, improving security for U.S. forces and Iraqi citizens. No consensus has emerged on an alternate plan, and McCain's position is now adopted by virtually all of his Republican opponents as their policy for Iraq.

This episode is instructive about the kind of leader McCain is, and would be as president.
McCain is not trusted in some Republican circles for positions that have branded him a maverick in the party.

He was a key champion of a campaign finance reform law that received support from both Democrats and Republicans, but has been criticized by both liberal and conservative critics as a limit on free speech.

McCain has been one of the administration's toughest critics for policies that allow the use of torture, which he suffered as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

McCain is also unpopular in some circles for his unwavering support of an immigration reform bill that includes a path to legal status for undocumented workers. Many Republican party activists, who play a big role in the nomination process, passionately disagree. It is an issue that another presidential candidate might want to sidestep.

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