Senator John McCain has a remarkable record of leadership and experience that embodies his unwavering lifetime commitment to service. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, John has led the fight for reforming Washington, eliminating wasteful government spending, and strengthening our nation's armed forces.
Senator McCain's reform agenda to reduce federal spending and lower taxes quickly elevated him to statewide office and he was elected to the United States Senate in 1986, after serving two terms in the U.S. House. In the Senate, he continued to demand that Congress put an end to loopholes for special interests and fix the broken system in Washington that too often allows lobbyists to write legislation and members of Congress to waste taxpayer money. In November of 2010, Senator McCain was overwhelmingly reelected with nearly sixty percent of the vote. As the son and grandson of distinguished Navy admirals, John McCain deeply values duty, honor and service of country.
John attended college at the United States Naval Academy, and launched a 22-year career as a naval aviator upon his graduation. On July 29, 1967, John narrowly survived the first of many near-death experiences during his lifetime while preparing to take off on a bombing mission over North Vietnam from his ship, the USS Forrestal. A missile accidentally fired from a nearby plane struck the fuel tanks on his plane. Instead of taking the option to return home after the Forrestal disaster, Senator McCain volunteered for more combat duty - a fateful decision that stopped the clock on his life and separated him from his family, and country, for five and a half years.
During his 23rd bombing mission on October 26, 1967, a missile struck his plane and forced him to eject, knocking him unconscious and breaking both his arms and his leg. John was then taken as a prisoner of war into the now infamous "Hanoi Hilton," where he was denied necessary medical treatment and often beaten by the North Vietnamese. He spent much of his time as a prisoner of war in solitary confinement, aided by his faith and the friendships of his fellow POWs. When he was finally released and able to return home years later, Senator McCain continued his service by regaining his naval flight status.
Senator McCain's last Navy duty assignment was to serve as the naval liaison to the United States Senate. He retired from the Navy in 1981. His naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Senator McCain currently serves on the following Senate Committees during the 112th Congress: Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee; Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Committee on Indian Affairs. Senator McCain has seven children and four grandchildren, and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Cindy.
Barack Obama President Barack Obama burst into the national spotlight with his acclaimed speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He has remained a prominent figure since, elected to the Senate at the end of 2004, gaining a seat on the high-profile Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and becoming an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq.
Obama's opponents faulted him for his lack of experience in Washington, however. Prior to his election to the Senate, Obama served as an Illinois state senator for eight years and a community organizer in Chicago before that. Obama says the United States needs to renew its global leadership position through skillful diplomacy, a revitalized military, and by confronting nuclear proliferation, which he calls "the most urgent threat to the security of America and the world." In June 2008, Obama claimed the Democratic nomination after clinching the number of delegates needed to win. In August 2008, he officially accepted that nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He won the general election in November 2008, and was inaugurated in January 2009. Obama, whose father was Kenyan, is the first African-American president of the United States.
