Ready to Command

Could you give an order that would put a loved one in mortal danger?

That is the title of an article by Paul Alexander, in Best Life Magazine, on John McCain. John has two sons serving in the military right now, and knows the full responsibility of what it will mean to be Commander-in-Chief. Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

It’s a cool, sunny June morning in New Hampshire, and Senator John McCain of Arizona stands on a makeshift stage in the center of a crowded firehouse. He’s here in the town of Gilford, population 7,500, doing what he has been doing in one way or another since 1999: running for president. Today he’s holding a town-hall meeting for 200 or so potential voters, as a large press corps—I count at least 10 TV crews—covers the event. They’re here because, of the 18 candidates who are officially declared for either the Republican or Democratic presidential nomination at this point, McCain is arguably one of the most famous. And it was in the state of New Hampshire, on the chilly evening of February 1, 2000, where he crushed Governor George W. Bush of Texas by 17 points in the primary—an upset victory that first put McCain on the national political map.

This time around, the questions are different than they were seven years ago; some of these voters have family members fighting in Iraq. Then again, this is a different campaign. I covered McCain during the 2000 election, and it was clear to me that he relished the role of the insurgent. It fit his character perfectly, since he had been a maverick for much of his life. In 2007, McCain entered the race as the front-runner, but so far he has trailed his rivals in fund-raising and polls. In July, he was forced to shake up his campaign, fire 50 staffers, and deny that he was dropping out of the race. Among independent voters and Democrats who have favored him in the past, he has been eviscerated for kowtowing to old enemies in the Bush White House and the religious right, and within the Republican Party itself, he has taken blows for stands that are unpopular with hard-liners, such as passing campaign finance reform and teaming with Ted Kennedy on immigration. And then there’s the war.

0907TPC_mccain_inline3.jpg McCain soldiers on, apparently unconcerned about his rivals and criticism from the media who once treated him as their darling—a Republican they could embrace. But he has never been the anointed one and is not comfortable in the position. In his 25-year political career, he has been a natural outsider who challenges the system, or a bipartisan peacemaker who brings both sides together, but never the establishment’s candidate. If he finds his voice in this campaign—and many observers believe he must—it will be an expression of his determination to follow his gut no matter what, for better or worse.

In Gilford this morning, audience members ask him about the war in Iraq, fighting terror­ism, and immigration. McCain is animated and affable onstage, often lacing his answers with his singular dark, sardonic humor. (He is known for frequently quoting Chairman Mao as saying “It’s always darkest before it is totally black.”) Today, McCain eventually directs the topics to one with which he is always comfortable: the American military. While joking with an audience member who had graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, McCain brings up the subject of his son John Sidney McCain IV, nicknamed Jack. McCain himself was the third John Sidney McCain to go to the United States Naval Academy; Jack, 21, entering his graduating year, is the fourth.

“You know, my son Jack attends the Naval Academy, where he has zero demerits,” McCain says in his even, deadpan delivery. Then after a pause for comic effect, he adds, “I got so concerned, I had DNA tests run just to make sure he was my son.”

The full article can be found here.

John McCain knows war. He knows how terrible it truly is, but he also knows that there are things worse, far worse, than war. No other candidate, in either party, matches John's military experience, or the wisdom he has gained from it. No other candidate is as ready as John to assume the awesome, and crushing, responsibility that is Commander-in-Chief. Help make sure that it is John McCain that leads this country in the fight ahead.