Coburn, Keating: Why We Support John McCain
Statement By Senator Tom Coburn And Former Governor Frank Keating ~ Senator John McCain has his admirers and his detractors among conservative Republicans. But, as committed conservatives, we both believe John McCain is the right person to lead our country at this time and deserves the support of all conservatives.
First, Senator McCain is the only candidate who actually knows what war is – and not just the part about flying missions and getting medals, but also the part about facing his own death, undergoing imprisonment and torture, not knowing whether he will ever see his family again. That experience is of inestimable value in our next president because, like it or not, we are a nation at war.
Our enemies are fanatics who will not rest until they have destroyed our entire way of life. They will fight us on the other side of the planet or the other side of the street. Our next president must be resolute in defending America against those who would do us harm. And our next president must also understand and honor the sacrifices made by our military personnel and their families. John McCain knows these things. The others can only imagine them.
Second, our greatest domestic threat is Congress’ total failure to prepare for the impending demographic tsunami of retiring Baby Boomers that will bankrupt Medicare and Social Security and perhaps wreck our economy. Senator McCain is the only candidate who has proven he has the guts to put the brakes on Congress’ reckless spending habits. He has consistently fought against wasteful pork-barrel spending and has pledged to veto bills that are loaded up with pork, just as President Reagan did. Senator McCain will stand up to big spenders in Congress at a time when our nation won’t be able to escape the difficult task of entitlement reform.
Third, John McCain is a leader who puts the interests of the country ahead of his own interests or the interests of his party. He is an intellectually honest leader who does not approach issues with his mind already made up. He makes decisions on the basis of what he actually thinks is best for America, not on the basis of how this will help his party score a point against the other party. This trait has angered partisan Republicans at times but we believe his independence is a tremendous asset, particularly at a time when confidence in government is near an all-time low. The American people are sick and tired of business as usual politics in Washington. A leader like John McCain has the ability to unite the country and help Congress rise above the divisiveness and excessive partisanship that has come to define our national debate.
Finally, John McCain is a man of courage. When public frustration and media scrutiny of President Bush’s Iraq policy was at a fever pitch Senator McCain was unwavering in his defense of the troop surge. His core message that we can’t allow Al Qaeda to secure a victory over the United States did not change and has not changed. Senator McCain said he would rather lose an election than a war, which is the kind of character America needs in a president.
Also, even though we disagreed with Senator McCain’s decision to pursue what he thought would be a workable long-term solution to the problem of illegal immigration, we applaud him for having the guts to propose a solution he knew could undermine his presidential campaign. We’re pleased that Senator McCain now shares our view that Congress has to first regain the trust of the public by securing our borders before contemplating a guest worker program, but we applaud him for approaching the issue on the basis of principle rather than political opportunism.
John McCain isn’t the perfect conservative and he isn’t the perfect Republican. We have disagreed with him on specific policies in the past and probably will again in the future. However, John McCain is by far the best Republican candidate seeking the presidency. His unique blend of courage, honesty and experience make him the best person to address a determined enemy abroad and economic uncertainty at home.
First, Senator McCain is the only candidate who actually knows what war is – and not just the part about flying missions and getting medals, but also the part about facing his own death, undergoing imprisonment and torture, not knowing whether he will ever see his family again. That experience is of inestimable value in our next president because, like it or not, we are a nation at war.
Our enemies are fanatics who will not rest until they have destroyed our entire way of life. They will fight us on the other side of the planet or the other side of the street. Our next president must be resolute in defending America against those who would do us harm. And our next president must also understand and honor the sacrifices made by our military personnel and their families. John McCain knows these things. The others can only imagine them.
Second, our greatest domestic threat is Congress’ total failure to prepare for the impending demographic tsunami of retiring Baby Boomers that will bankrupt Medicare and Social Security and perhaps wreck our economy. Senator McCain is the only candidate who has proven he has the guts to put the brakes on Congress’ reckless spending habits. He has consistently fought against wasteful pork-barrel spending and has pledged to veto bills that are loaded up with pork, just as President Reagan did. Senator McCain will stand up to big spenders in Congress at a time when our nation won’t be able to escape the difficult task of entitlement reform.
Third, John McCain is a leader who puts the interests of the country ahead of his own interests or the interests of his party. He is an intellectually honest leader who does not approach issues with his mind already made up. He makes decisions on the basis of what he actually thinks is best for America, not on the basis of how this will help his party score a point against the other party. This trait has angered partisan Republicans at times but we believe his independence is a tremendous asset, particularly at a time when confidence in government is near an all-time low. The American people are sick and tired of business as usual politics in Washington. A leader like John McCain has the ability to unite the country and help Congress rise above the divisiveness and excessive partisanship that has come to define our national debate.
Finally, John McCain is a man of courage. When public frustration and media scrutiny of President Bush’s Iraq policy was at a fever pitch Senator McCain was unwavering in his defense of the troop surge. His core message that we can’t allow Al Qaeda to secure a victory over the United States did not change and has not changed. Senator McCain said he would rather lose an election than a war, which is the kind of character America needs in a president.
Also, even though we disagreed with Senator McCain’s decision to pursue what he thought would be a workable long-term solution to the problem of illegal immigration, we applaud him for having the guts to propose a solution he knew could undermine his presidential campaign. We’re pleased that Senator McCain now shares our view that Congress has to first regain the trust of the public by securing our borders before contemplating a guest worker program, but we applaud him for approaching the issue on the basis of principle rather than political opportunism.
John McCain isn’t the perfect conservative and he isn’t the perfect Republican. We have disagreed with him on specific policies in the past and probably will again in the future. However, John McCain is by far the best Republican candidate seeking the presidency. His unique blend of courage, honesty and experience make him the best person to address a determined enemy abroad and economic uncertainty at home.
Labels: Frank Keating, John McCain, Tom Coburn
posted by Mike McCarville @ 10:16 PM
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