(This is The State editorial board’s Republican presidential
primary endorsement, which initially appeared online on 1/15/08, and in
the paper 1/16/08. Here is a column that went with it, and here is a video explaining it.)
FOR SOUTH CAROLINA, and to some extent for the nation, the choice
among Republican candidates for
president has come down to two men.
First
Rudy Giuliani, then Mitt Romney looked at political realities and
fled
the Palmetto State, deciding their priorities lay elsewhere. Fred
Thompson seems to be running in this first-in-the-South primary just to
say he did. Ron Paul keeps on being Ron Paul, former nominee of the
Libertarian Party.
The two remaining contenders here happen to be
the two strongest candidates — Mike Huckabee and John McCain. Gov.
Huckabee is an exciting newcomer who shows a wonderful ability to
connect with voters’ concerns, and Republicans could do far worse than
to choose him. But his utter lack of knowledge of foreign affairs is
unsettling.
It’s not just about Iraq and Afghanistan. As freshly
demonstrated by the incident involving U.S. warships in the Strait of
Hormuz last week and the assassination earlier of the opposition leader
in the world’s most volatile democracy (which possesses nuclear
weapons, and shelters Osama bin Laden), our commander in chief will
need a far broader and deeper understanding of our relationship to the
world than on-the-job training can adequately provide.
Clearly,
the best Republican candidate to lead our nation at this time is U.S.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona. He has the necessary experience, not just
in time served, but in the quality of understanding he exhibits across
the board.
The value of his experience is multiplied by his
integrity and independence. He is a slave to no ideology or faction.
Not only will he work with anyone who wants to do the right thing
anytime, he is usually the driving force at the head of coalitions to
get the job done — from the Gang of 14 that broke Senate gridlock and
paved the way for the confirmation of conservative judges to his
principled leadership on campaign finance reform. He knew the political
risk he took leading the quest for a comprehensive solution to illegal
immigration, but he believed securing our borders was too important a
priority not to try.
He is deeply respected by his colleagues in
both parties, despite the fact that, as he jokes, he has never sought
the “Miss Congeniality” title. No one is as likely as he to fight,
expose and defeat waste, fraud or corruption.
Experience,
certainly. Integrity, even more so. But John McCain’s most conspicuous
virtue is courage. He is a brave and tough man who unlike some
candidates has no need to bluster, but is able to speak with humility
and generosity to those with whom he disagrees. A McCain presidency
would do much to restore confidence in American leadership, at home and
abroad.
There is of course the extraordinary physical and moral
courage that he displayed as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, where he
withstood nightmarish torture for years rather than let his country or
his comrades down. But he also possesses the kind of political
fortitude that keeps him from giving up on any worthwhile quest. He
evinces a wisdom born in pain, a confidence earned in many battles.
When others despair, John McCain knows he has seen worse, and keeps
striding forward.
For much of the past year, his candidacy was
dismissed, his support depleted, his coffers empty. He kept on, and
gradually won the doubters back to his cause.
More to the point,
consider the wisdom and courage he has displayed with regard to our
nation’s struggle in Iraq. For four years, he was nearly alone in his
insistent criticism of the Bush administration for sending too few
troops to quell the violence. When the president finally adopted the
McCain approach a year ago, the senator lent Gen. David Petraeus his
unwavering support at a time when so many in both major parties either
thought he was wrong, or simply lacked the courage to stand with him.
He was right all along.
John McCain has shown more clearly than
anyone on the American political scene today that he loves his country,
and would never mislead or dishonor it. He is almost unique in his
determination to do what is right, whatever the cost. And he usually
has a clear vision of what’s right.
So it is that we confidently
and enthusiastically endorse John McCain for the Republican nomination
for president of the United States.
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