Meet the Candidates

John McCain

Age: 71

Hometown: Alexandria, VA

Party Affiliation: Republican

Career Highlights:Senior Senator from Arizona from 1987 to present; Naval pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam

RS Fun Fact: Sen. McCain has had more appearances on The Daily Show than any other guest and is good friends with its host, Jon Stewart. McCain has also made cameos in the film Wedding Crashers and on the Fox series 24.

Major Positions

Iraq

Senator McCain voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and is still one of the war's biggest backers. He suggested raising troop levels before General David Petraeus did and supports the troop surge as a way to stabilize the region. The senator vehemently opposes withdrawing American forces before the Iraqis can competently retake control and now favors maintaining troop levels at their current numbers.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama

Climate Change

Along with two of his Democratic competitors, McCain co-sponsored the "Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007," designed to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2050. He Insists on a global pact to minimize greenhouse gases and would fold developing nations like India and China into the equation, and has pledged to reduce dependence on foreign energy suppliers (think OPEC) and use more nuclear energy.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama

Health Care

McCain advocates personal choice in health care and believes people should be able to select their own packages rather than having a preordained plan handed to them. He opposes government mandates to provide insurance but seeks affordable coverage for all Americans, but has rejected raising taxes. Unlike his peers, McCain supports the re-importation of drugs to lower the cost of prescription medicines.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama

War On Terror

"Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." In September 2007, McCain said, "There's no doubt that [Iran is] moving forward with the acquisition of a nuclear weapon." He aims to prevent a nuclear Iran through diplomacy and sanctions but has indicated that his patience isn't unlimited. Elsewhere in the war on terror, he's proposed placing more troops in the Middle East to protect American forces in Iraq from Iranian insurgents.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama

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RS Poll

Which Mitt Romney do you like better?

  • The pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-immigrant, anti-NRA Republican who ran for Governor of Massachusetts.
  • The pro-life, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, pro-gun Republican running for President.
  • Neither, men named Willard give me the creeps.

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