McCain said recently that “there’s no doubt that we [Republicans] came to power in 1994 to change government and government changed us…. We have to act like the party of less government, lower taxes, strong national defense.” These are the principles that will help America solve its problems in Iraq and at home.

Iraq is possibly the most important issue of 2008 and on no other issue are candidates so drastically different in their policies. Obama and Clinton would cut and run immediately, allowing civil war to possibly deteriorate into genocide. Biden would partition the country along sectarian lines, which recalls chilling memories of the hundreds of thousands slaughtered in the Pakistan-India partition.

McCain is the only candidate with the vision and the experience to find real solutions in Iraq. He is the only popular candidate with a military record, which stretches from his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy and over five years as a POW in Vietnam to chairing the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He is also the only candidate to recognize in his policy the immense threat to our national security, Middle Eastern stability, and human rights that failure in Iraq poses. He advocates increasing the size of the military, especially the Army and Marine Corps. This will allow for more troops on the ground to provide security for Iraqi citizens and relieve our soldiers who have been deployed multiple times to combat zones.

John McCain is committed to cutting government waste and spending to balance the budget without raising taxes. He recently said, “Congress is now spending money like a drunken sailor.” He cites pork barrel spending and corporate subsidies as major reasons for irresponsible spending.

McCain has been awarded by organizations such as Council for Citizens Against Government Waste and Americans for Tax Reform on several occasions for his record of fiscal responsibility in the Senate. He also recognizes that reform of the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs are top priorities to ensure that we future generations aren’t mired in debt.

Bipartisanship will be essential for whoever becomes President. McCain has proven his ability to work with Democrats and Republicans to reach pragmatic policies in Congress. He was instrumental in crossing party lines to resolve the meltdown over filibustering judicial appointments in the Senate. The McCain-Feingold (a liberal Democrat) legislation was instrumental in reforming campaign finance laws by reducing the influence of special interest money in political campaigns.

Mitt Romney would make an excellent running mate for McCain. Romney has a strong record as Governor of Massachusetts. His leadership has balanced the state budget and provided health care for all Massachusetts residents without raising taxes. His lack of foreign policy and military experience makes him unqualified to be President during war, but his business contacts and executive experience would make him a valuable addition to the McCain campaign.