Senator John McCain

We here at Popzara Press are pleased to present our dual-coverage of both 2008 Presidential Candidates, Senator's John McCain and Barack Obama.  As a publication that prides itself on reporting in fair, unbiased terms we have included individual endorsements for each candidate in separate, personal accounts we hope will uniquely demonstrate the appeal and characteristics of each.  We would like to stress the importance of participation of all eligible citizens whenever possible, and to reflect this have included links to each candidate's official website at the bottom of this page - as well as links to each unique endorsement. 

Also included is a link to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), where you'll find information on registering to vote in your area, as well as other opportunities to get involved in this year's election cycle.

Please click HERE for our official endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama.

I've been following political campaigns for as long as I can remember, especially those of the Presidential variety. Perhaps its been my erratic traveling schedule, or maybe just an irrational dislike of local commercials, but there's always been something about the power of the national campaign that brings out the most ardent of patriotic feelings inside me...and I love it. While I've never thought of myself as someone easily swayed by the comfort and brotherhood of political parties, I will admit that its typically the more conservative candidate that gets my vote.

Perhaps the reason I've never lost faith in the political system is that I've never shared the ambitions many have saddled it with each and every election. Whatever the reason – obligation, patriotism, or maybe just political apathy – that every eligible US citizen has direct access to participate and add their voice to determining the destiny of the world's most successful government is extraordinary to me. I've always been far more interested in the intentions of the Founding Fathers than furthering a politician's career. As such, politics have been a fairly logical – if sterile – thing for me.

For whatever reason, I've never really felt that tingle many seem to over their candidate of choice, and as such have never pinned my political hopes and dreams with a majority candidate. While I may end of voting for one of them, that our system allows for a systematic whittling of a pool of talent until one remains has always struck me as counterintuitive if our goal was the best representative leadership. That we would be so quick to discard the talents and resources of someone based on their ideological beliefs or their percentage of votes in an election has always seemed like such a waste. As such, I've always kept my priorities higher than any personal feelings and have always stayed a comfortable arms length from emotional attachments to the cultural phenomenon and movements.

Until now.

As I've watched the political discourse in the country devolve into a bickering cacophony of hate speech and pandering, I began to question what the point to everything was. Like clockwork, every four years would bring out the very worst in the most even-tempered of folks, having aligned themselves to a political party and ideologically that only seemed to remember them come election time. Accomplishments were enhanced, credits assumed, and everyone not like-minded became an enemy of the state. In this process both Republicans and Democrats are equally – and shamefully – guilty.

Whatever your feelings for the Republican Party – or those currently in charge of the GOP these days – it would be a mistake to assume that membership in the party of elephants requires an unshakable world view of conservative philosophy that leaves little room for outside thinking. The same could be said of the Democratic Party and its supposed adherence to liberal philosophy, a nice thought often not the case. But while the potential for exploring the gray areas between ideologies is certainly within the framework of our system, partisan alliances and personal ambitions typically render the possibility of having full and healthy debate impossible.

For over 25 years, Arizona Senator John McCain has never been what you'd call a traditional politician. While he claims membership in the Republican Party and considers himself a conservative thinker, this doesn't seem to have interfered much when it came to working across the invisible party lines that often trip up even the most well-intentioned public servants. With a voting record that helped earn him the reputation of Maverick in the Senate, the outspoken and sometimes ill-tempered has never been one to keep his opinions to himself, a trait that would serve him well whether helping negotiate a series of controversial legislation or criticizing a war many felt badly mismanaged.

For years McCain was one of – if not the – most popular and liked of all politicians in the country. Never a stranger on any number of television and media outlets (he holds the record for most visits on The Daily Show) and has enjoyed an almost universal respect among both Republicans and Democrats. Naturally, this has led to more ambitious political aspirations as he rose from one position to the next, eventually leading him to seek the highest office in the land – President of the United States.  While the advantages of having the most solid, substantial record of bipartisan compromise in Washington may not look or sound as sexy as fiery rhetoric, it should speak volumes in a campaign where the very word 'Change' has become a euphemism for race and gender.

Despite being left for dead by the political punditry early on, McCain fought against what many felt were insurmountable odds and attacks – many within his own party - to become the Republican nominee. In the process the personal narrative of the man and his history became topics of interest once again, only now on a larger scale than ever before and subject to scrutiny that would be anything but hospitable.

Much has been made of John McCain's time spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and the horrendous treatment he was subjected to at the hands of his captors. When offered his freedom due to the military rank of his family, he refused unless all prisoners there before him would receive theirs. As a result he would remain captive another four and a half years, enduring physical and emotional hardships that would stay with him forever.

For me this cuts deeper and more effectively than anything else, as it suggests at the very core of this man lay that most remarkable of things – humanity. That he would willingly subject his already broken and crippled body to further beating and torture is well beyond my scope of understanding, and at best I can only look upon such a selfless act as someone trying to comprehend the impossible. The cynical nature that dominates the national discussion may not want to hear of it, but they need to. A world that so regularly props up artificial heroics as the ideal needs to.

John McCain's political opponent Senator Barack Obama is a remarkable fellow, and I have no doubt that his influence within the political landscape will be felt for some time to come. Blessed with an intelligence and oratory skills – perhaps the most devastating coupling of the two since Ronald Reagan – that this multi-ethnic man with the most inopportune of surnames triumphantly defeated perhaps the most popular Democratic family in modern times, all the while redefining the very essence of the modern political campaign, is beyond argument. To say he has inspired an entire generation of young voters, many of whom might have otherwise passed on their most intrinsic of constitutional rights.

But while I applaud the man's achievement's in one area of the political field, its precisely his deficit in the other why I cannot stand by him. His tireless work as a community organizer and advocacy in Chicago are to be applauded, but that he has spent the majority of his professional political career effectively running for higher office is a troubling view into the ambitions of someone more interested in the achievement than the experience.

I fully understand the desire many have to elect the first black President, an action of such momentous significance to so many it cannot be underestimated. However, its imperative to reflect that when such an event happens – and I have no doubt it will happen – it must happen with fairness and with less credulity. What few seem to realize is that Obama's absolute success need not lay with winning the Presidency itself, but rather earning the right to lose it as any other candidate might. As with Jackie Robinson's ascendancy to the Major League, the importance is in the playing.

In all honesty, there's a very strident part of me that secretly hopes John McCain will lose his most successful – and surely final – bid for the Presidency. The pains of running for the highest office have taken their toll on the reputation and perhaps legacy of one of the most inspirational of our modern elected officials. That a loss would allow him to return to his previous status of simply being one of the most respected public figures, whose sacrifices in a prison camp would continue to inspire and awe for time immemorial.

This is a man I have respected and admired for a long time, who's personal story and professional career has inspired and motivated an untold number of people around the world. And while I feel with all my heart he would make an exemplary Commander in Chief, I fear that the political climate being what it is would historically stain a personal narrative that deserves better. We've already seen much of it put up to ridicule and scorn by those invested in his political defeat, with little regard for truth or decency, and I can't imagine his election doing anything to curb the tide.

But thankfully, that isn't my decision to make, and something tells me that preserving a legacy isn't the number one priority on John McCain's agenda. Over the years he's managed to effectively rile up just about everyone in the establishment at one time or another. Democrats and Republicans alike have seen (and felt) the full wrath of his famous temper, yet through it all have come to respect and admire his tenacity and brashness. Before the political realities of this campaign modified their position, it was hardly surprising to hear 2008 Democratic Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden not only praise McCain's experience, but admit his superiority as President over Obama. The 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry, famously sought McCain as his cross-party VP candidate, and the 2000 Democratic VP candidate Joseph Lieberman, is one of his most ardent supporters. No candidate in modern history has had such a wide range of support, and its a stunning testament to legitimacy of his convictions.

Without fail, we keep sending these politicians to change Washington, only to have Washington change them. This is a place where even the most sincere and optimistic of champions often succumb to the political realities of s system whose temptations often prove impossible to resist. Is it any wonder that so many have given up hoping for change in such a caustic environment, where patriotic ambitions gives way to personal agendas, and the greatest fear lay not with the safety of the country but losing elections.

We've seen what happens in such a decrepit and culturally lethargic time, and this cannot be allowed to continue. Its this type of apathy that bring economic pain, the retraction of civil rights...and wars without end. ENOUGH. The sacrifice of our personal blood and treasure can't afford to be so liberally cast aside for political expediency and personal acclaim. For the first time in my life I'm supporting a man that I wholly and fully believe in, who despite some personal and political disagreements – to which there are many – I'm absolutely convinced would lead this country with a conviction foreign to most, and a passion that's 100% authentic.

I consider myself a true independent voter, having lost faith in either major party to effectively serve the best interests of the American people. Washington needs a shake-up, and while the term may have lost some of its moxie, a change is necessary. Politics and ideology be damned, I'm going with my heart on this one and I couldn't be more proud to endorse John McCain for President of the United States.

For more information on John McCain, please visit the official campaign website at http://www.johnmccain.com

To become more involved in this year's election, please visit the official Election Assistance Commission (EAC) website directly by clicking HERE!