Why I'm voting for John McCain

I consider myself a thoughtful person. I would never vote a straight ticket even if I supported every democrat or every republican on the ballot. For those of you thoughtful people who still haven't decided who to vote for, I would like to give you several reasons I'm voting for John McCain.

1. His arguments are pragmatic, not ideological. John McCain doesn't owe his nomination to the far right, the religious right, or any other segment. He doesn't have any campaign money (which is why he's on public financing) so he won't owe his election to big money. This means if he is elected president, he will be everyone's president. McCain won the Republican primary because his ideas make sense. They aren't partisan and they aren't sugar-coated. He bashed President Bush in the Republican debates, he told Michigan auto workers their industrial jobs might never come back. His ideas are convincing because they have the ring of reality.

2. John McCain has demonstrated commitment to work across the aisle. The best evidence of this is that one of his biggest supporters was the Democratic vice presidential candidate eight years ago. McCain has a record of working with anyone to get smart and collaborative legislation passed. Barak Obama has said bipartisanship is an important value to him. I have no reason to doubt his commitment, I just want to see it in action. A large part of our sitting legislators and our current president are there because they made promises of reform, change, taking back Washington, etc. I would like to see exactly what Obama means when he says it, and he can show us as a U.S. Senator first.

3. McCain's views on the issues show good judgment and forethought. Even if you are against the war in Iraq, you can appreciate John McCain's understanding of the issues involved. He voted to invade with most other Senators. But he criticized its execution all along. McCain knows the cost of torture and the value of diplomacy. He understands war too well to let a rash secretary of defense go buck wild. Imagine the war without Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. McCain understands the gravity of the economic situation and the problems facing families. He was being frank when he told those auto workers they might not get their jobs back, but he didn't leave them without hope. I think McCain is right on with immigration reform. He knows deporting 12 million people, most of whom are working, is not rational.

Barak Obama has great promise as a leader. And it is very heartening what it says about America that he was able to win his nomination. I appreciate that he hasn't made this election about race. I would say to him: Show us your vision of how you would change Washington as a Senator and come back in four or eight years. Right now I believe John McCain is the right person to be president.