Steve Fritsch -  Publisher/Editor stevefritsch@thecincinnatusstandard.com...............Archive/Bio

February 11, 2008

A True Patriot, But Not a True Conservative: But I Will Still Vote for John McCain in November

Regardless what one may think about John McCain, his rise to the top of the GOP presidential candidate field, and soon-to-be victory as the official nominee, has certainly been impressive from a strictly political point of view. As Stephen F. Hayes pointed out recently in the Weekly Standard, "Things were different back in early September [2007]. Few national media outlets were interested in McCain after an abysmal summer that left him with a depleted staff, very little money, and dwindling support in the polls." But McCain refused to give up, just as he refused to give up when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam from 1967-73, suffering from periods of torture at the hands of cruel Vietnamese communists.

McCain's status as a veteran, and his commitment to veterans and current service members as a senator, is something that demands respect from all real Americans. Furthermore, his war record and time spent as a POW absolutely requires our respect and gratitude, and many would agree that on this basis alone he is an American hero. However, just because one is an authentic American hero does not necessarily make that person qualified to lead the conservative movement as the head figure of the Republican Party (see Dole, Bob: 1996). This is not to say that McCain does not have the experience and qualifications to be the next Commander in Chief. On the contrary, compared to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul, he is certainly more qualified. It is debatable whether he was more qualified, on some levels at least, than Mitt Romney, who has executive level experience as a governor and successful CEO. Yet when it comes to experience on military and national security matters, McCain certainly trumps them all.

This is important to remember, especially for conservatives. Most of us place national security at the top of our lists in importance, or least tied in importance with the maintaining of our civil liberties here at home. Therefore, with John McCain as the nominee going against a Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, Republican voters would certainly have a foreign policy hawk, committed to U.S. national interests abroad, as their candidate. And say what you will about McCain's liberal views on social issues (which are troublesome, I fully admit), but conservatives would be able to sleep soundly at night with a President McCain. Yet if Hillary or Obama becomes the next president, all because conservatives decided not to vote for McCain, how well do you think we would sleep then, knowing a spineless liberal is in charge of protecting us from al Qaeda and other forms of danger?

That is why it is imperative that we all remember that McCain has been an unwavering proponent for victory in Iraq and the War on Terror (even when other prominent Republican lawmakers were beginning to jump ship), that he strongly pushed for the idea of sending more troops to Iraq long before almost everyone (which has turned out to be exactly what was needed--the surge is working), and he has vowed to find and kill Osama bin Laden (remember him?) and take him to the "gates of hell." If Obama or Hillary were to say such a thing few would believe their sincerity, let alone have confidence in their ability to lead the fight against bin Laden. Moreover, we all know what will happen in Iraq if one of those two liberals get in office: the abandonment of the Iraqi people, Iran filling the power vacuum once we leave, and our bravest soldiers having died and fought in vain.

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That is why conservatives, as a united whole, cannot allow that to happen. Simply put, the 2008 election is just too important to the country and the military--and the future of the Supreme Court I may add--to remain on the sidelines or to boycott McCain. Now I realize that McCain is not a true conservative, despite what President Bush may say (and let's not kid ourselves, Bush is not a "true conservative" either). Yet I want to make it clear I'm not a John McCain supporter. During this entire primary season I have watched McCain and shuttered at the possibility he would become our nominee. In so many ways I cannot stand the man. His lie about Romney wanting "timetables" for leaving Iraq was despicable. His constant rhetoric about being a "Reagan conservative" made me feel ill at times. After all, if you really are a Reagan conservative you don't have to remind people at every speech, because people already know if you are or not. And whether it is for supporting illegal alien amnesty, refusing to drill for oil in ANWR, limiting freedom of speech through McCain-Feingold, and not initially supporting President Bush's 2001 tax cuts--as well other important issues in which McCain has been anything but "conservative"--I know it makes it difficult to want to vote for him. Trust me, I do know it's difficult. I have labored over this often for over a month now.

All that having been stated, I'm still going to vote for John McCain if he is the GOP nominee in November. Not because I want to, but because I have to. Why do I have to, you may ask? That's easy:

The troops.

Before you decide to sit out the election and help Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama become the next president, think about this. Our troops are the best and bravest in the world. They have sacrificed so much over the last six years in defending us from radical Islamic terrorism and keeping us free and safe here at home. And yet their job is not done once George W. Bush leaves office on January 20, 2009. The War on Terror will need to go on because the job will not yet be finished. Victory will still take time and with John McCain at the helm, the troops will be given the time and support necessary to win the War on Terror.

But mark my words right now: The United States of America cannot afford Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton as president. And for all his faults--and indeed there are many--John McCain will not let us lose our aggressiveness in the War on Terror, whereas a President Obama or President Clinton easily could.

Therefore, though it may not exactly be the "conservative" thing to do, the patriotic thing to do this November will be to vote for John McCain. I hope my fellow conservatives will do the same.