Smita Mishra
John Mc Cain who remained quietly out of the limelight during the almost exclusive raging fight between Obama and Hillary and who matches the youth and vigor of Barack Obama with his age and experience, is not just a four time Senator who has worked relentlessly for reforms in Washington, who climbed the popularity charts fast for his attempt to eliminate wasteful government expenditure and bring about reform in armed forces, as a Representative from Arizona, but has also been a war veteran, having escaped death narrowly in Vietnam War in which he participated in 1967.
Born in 1936 in a family of Naval Admirals, McCain attended US Naval Academy and became a naval aviator and flew attack aircrafts. During the Vietnam war, he not just fought valiantly but also spent almost six years as war prisoner, facing severe torture.
He was elected for the first time for the House of Representatives from Arizona in 1986 where he served two terms. He has been considerably appreciated for his works to regularize illegal immigrants and prison reforms even by his Democrat opponents.
Among the early issues that he took up were the rights of war veterans and serious attempts to normalize relations with Vietnam.
McCain was elected to the Senate twice in the 1990s. But his temper, bluntness and attempt to follow an independent route irrespective of party rules made him an eyesore for fellow Republicans. But some how it was this very attitude that gave him an aura of charm with the public in 2000, during his bid for the presidency as a Republican candidate.
He was defeated by Bush in a closely fought contest, but not before his maverick image and upstart campaign had made him the media’s darling.
But 2008 saw his presidential campaign losing much of its sheen. He seems unsure as how to position himself as a candidate. His contradictory stand on Iraq war, his forceful adoption of a more conservative approach, and his reluctant endorsement of a number of contradictory issues has resulted in rapid slides in his support chart.
Although in the three presidential debates between Obama and McCain, it is Obama who seems to outshine the latter, but the trust McCain inspires in the masses because of his long years of experience and hard work is difficult to match. It will not be a wonder if the 2008 elections sees this war hardened maverick, gradually wading his way to the topmost and the most powerful political position of the world.
