Where a little bit of simple reading will get you... Options

[Mommy]

All of the information I'm about to post is readily available on sites such as Wikipedia. I really think the best thing for our country right now is a President who meets the needs of both Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals. These are only things I found from the year 2000 and on. I could go back further, but decided to keep it up-to-date.

McCain began 2001 by breaking with the new George W. Bush administration on a number of matters, including HMO reform, climate change, and gun legislation.

In May 2001, McCain was one of only two Senate Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts.

When Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an Independent, throwing control of the Senate to the Democrats, McCain defended Jeffords against "self-appointed enforcers of party loyalty".

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, McCain supported Bush and the U.S. led war in Afghanistan. He and then-Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman wrote the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission.

In May 2003, McCain voted against the second round of Bush tax cuts, saying it was unwise at a time of war.

In October 2003, McCain and Lieberman co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act that would have introduced a cap and trade system of greenhouse gases at the 2000 emissions level; the bill was defeated with 55 votes to 43 in the Senate.They reintroduced modified versions of the Act two additional times, most recently in January 2007 with the co-sponsorship of Barack Obama, among others.

In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, McCain was once again frequently mentioned for the vice-presidential slot, only this time as part of the Democratic ticket under nominee John Kerry.McCain said that Kerry had never formally offered him the position and that he would not have accepted it if he had.

Working with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, McCain was a strong proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, which would involve legalization, guest worker programs, and border enforcement components.

On October 3, 2005, McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendenment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005, and the Senate voted 90–9 to support the amendment. It prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, by confining military interrogations to the techniques in the U.S. Army Air Field Manual on Interrogation. Although Bush had threatened to veto the bill if McCain's amendment was included, the President announced on December 15, 2005, that he accepted McCain's terms and would "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad".

[Mommy]

John McCain formally announced he was seeking the presidency of the United States on April 25, 2007 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He stated that: "I’m not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things."

[Mommy]

The Almanac of American Politics rates congressional votes as liberal or conservative on the political spectrum, in three policy areas: economic, social, and foreign. For 2005-2006, McCain's average ratings were as follows: the economic rating was 59 percent conservative and 41 percent liberal, the social rating was 54 percent conservative and 38 percent liberal, and the foreign rating was 56 percent conservative and 43 percent liberal.

[Mommy]

The American Conservative Union awarded McCain a lifetime rating of 82 percent through 2007, while McCain has an average lifetime 13 percent "Liberal Quotient" from Americans for Democratic Action through 2007

Based on his years in Congress (i.e. 2005, 2006, and 2007), Senator Obama has a lifetime average conservative rating of 7.67% from the ACU, and a lifetime average liberal rating of 90% from the ADA.

[James]

Point?

[schwab]

what you are saying is vote for Obama? right?

[Mommy]

point is, that our country is so segregated on the issue of Democrat or Republican. We need someone who acts in accordance with the will of the greater people. IMO McCain isn't a puppet of the Republican party. He thinks for himself and for the people.

I forget what magazine it was, but they listed Obama as having the most liberal voting record in the Senate. Great. That doesn't appeal to the greater masses.

[Mommy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080615/ap_on_el_pr/lieberman

This is exactly what I am talking about. Democrats angry that one of their own doesn't support Obama. Great article if you have some reading time. Involves finger-pointing private conversations, policy issues, etc. Very interesting.

[schwab]

nobody seemed to care when Bush was voting only Republican and divided everyone, so it would make sense to have someone who is liberal now.....you had your chance with bush

[Mommy]

nobody seemed to care when Bush was voting only Republican and divided everyone, so it would make sense to have someone who is liberal now.....you had your chance with bush

I voted for Kerry in '04, regrettably. I am not straight ticket Republican. I have several issues I lean liberal on, but the issues that are most important to me, I lean Republican. I think this is how a lot of Americans are (lean one way, but support certain issues on the other side), yet we are forced into this bi-partisan nonsense.

[chook]

bi-partisan is how things get done. I was really hoping for Clinton because she doesn't have the feel good bs that jives with the trustafarians. McCain is the closer of the two to center.

[jwttu]

nobody seemed to care when Bush was voting only Republican and divided everyone, so it would make sense to have someone who is liberal now.....you had your chance with bush

i'm not saying anyone is the answer whether they be republican/democrat/independent but in times like now where everyone is somewhat upset about politics we need someone that truly bring everyone together. Just because extremism one way didn't work doesnt justify extremism the other direction.

I'm not sure if the person i described is running for president but I hope whomever becomes president relizes that the country is going through hard times and we really need some bipatisonism to get things done and get people more optimistic about the future.