Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Opinion

The media loves to pull the public in all sorts of directions when analyzing political figures, especially when those politicians are conservative. One day, a news broadcast shows Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hugging President George W. Bush, calling McCain a carbon copy of the president and trying to bring his support down to the level of the president's approval rating. The next day, I see headlines reading "McCain wants to be in Iraq for 100 years." Again, the media wants the public to believe he is a warmonger who will not let go of a war no matter how unpopular or devastating it is to the country, all of which, of course, is false. In the last instance, it is not the liberal media trying to slander the presidential hopeful - it is a skeptical right-winger. This person calls McCain out on his maverick streak and paints him as a closet liberal or an independent at best. One must learn to get past these distortions of reality and analyze the facts.

Those who think McCain is a carbon copy of Bush must have completely missed the 2000 election. The two candidates had stark differences on some issues and McCain was a candidate very different from George Bush. Since 2000, Bush and McCain have mended many of their problems with each other, but that does not mean they are the same person. It could be looked at more as if McCain supports a Republican president more than he supports Bush. Not to say if you like McCain you cannot like the president - that is simply not the case - but the two politicians definitely have their differences. No matter how much pandering he does to look good in campaign season, one thing is for sure: At age 71, McCain is not going to change much, and he is certainly his own man.

Throughout the 2008 presidential election, McCain has been considered the candidate with the foreign policy expertise to be relentless in the fight against radical Islamic extremism. This is an accurate estimation of the senator when considering his experience with armed forces and foreign policy both in Congress and in his actual life. In the fight against terror, McCain has been 100 percent behind the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

From the beginning, however, McCain criticized former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld strategy in Iraq. Since then, the Army has taken an approach similar to McCain's early recommendations, and the senator has been able to look good boasting the recent successes of the troop surge in Iraq. McCain's obvious knowledge and capability in national defense seem to be one point where he cannot be touched, but the Democrats have tried their hardest. The senator's now-famous 100 years in Iraq quote causes fear to rise in the common person. One must truly understand the context in which this quote was said and what it truly means.

We have kept troops for decades in areas such as Korea and Japan after engaging in war. As long as the conditions are stable and troops are not in constant peril, there is no reason not to keep them there to ensure our years of war do not fall by the way side. The senator knows first-hand that war is not fun, but because of his own experience, he can direct our military with confidence and poise in the face of terrorism.

Conservative writer Ann Coulter has been quoted saying she would rather vote for a woman, Hillary Clinton, than for her party's nominee, McCain. Among other arguments, Coulter has called out McCain for his abortion stance. With a consistent anti-abortion voting record in Congress, McCain's comments on abortion are a testament to his realistic aspirations. McCain has been quoted saying Roe v. Wade will remain the law of the land for the workable future. Though I am sure McCain thinks abortion should most definitely be illegal, he is realistic and understands he must work within the system he is in. Outlawing abortion after 35 years of it being legal would wreak havoc on our country. We need to build the infrastructure and support programs that could make the banning of abortion work for the good of society. Additionally, measures can be passed to put limits on abortions performed, such as the partial-birth abortion ban passed in 2003. Within the rules of Roe v. Wade, it could be possible to restrict abortions to only the first trimester and require parental consent for minors. McCain will also most likely appoint strict constructionist judges that inherently would make anti-abortion decisions.

McCain is practical and realistic while Coulter is superficial and looking for attention and shock value, just like the liberal media she claims to oppose.

Luke Beckmann is a sophomore government and politics and history major. He can be reached at beckmann@umd.edu.

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