Okay, I’m gonna try not to use the word "maverick" not even onc… aw, crap. I just did, didn’t I?

John McCain, once championed by a number of Democrats across the nation for his bipartisan efforts, has spent just about his entire life in public service. For both of those reasons, it deeply irks saddens me that democrats nation-wide are now painting McCain’s would-be presidency as a 3rd term of George W.

I’m not saying that republicans wouldn’t be doing the same thing (if Obama had such a rich history and had spent decades working with representatives on both sides of the aisle – which he hasn’t) if the tables were turned, because they most definitely would. It’s just unfortunate that so many are willing to ignore the life this man has led for no other reason than because they want a democrat to become leader of the free world.

One of the major reasons I can support John McCain: he has a well thought-out financial plan for this country. A plan devised by, and this is a key part, *listening* to those with the most knowledge on the subject. A plan that has been agreed upon by more than a few democrats. (NYTimes.com has a relatively balanced article detailing the history of McCain’s chief economic policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, what exactly he’s been able to accomplish and what he brings to the campaign. The article was written way back in April and I kind of wish that the article’s author, David Leonhardt, had written a follow-up.)

Also worth mentioning, Kent Conrad, D-ND, referred to Holtz-Eakin as "an exemplary leader" in regards to Eakin’s time in the Congressional Budget Office. Coincidentally, Conrad was one of the first Senators to have endorsed Obama for the 2008 democratic Presidential race." I personally think this is yet another example of the kind of bipartisan leadership that McCain is capable of selecting – even in the middle of a presidential race.

Next up, by fighting for campaign finance reform (CFR) as diligently as he has, McCain has taken the necessary steps – steps which need to be continued regardless of who takes office – to ensure that the rich are not the only ones that can be granted an opportunity to shape his/her respective city/county/state/nation. CFR is an extremely important ideal in this country and one for which we should continue to fight.

These are just a couple of items which I feel highlight the strengths that John McCain can bring to the White House. I genuinely feel as though John McCain is the first presidential nominee in at least the last decade that actually deserves a chance to lead this nation. And, in the end, with all politics aside, it seems like we would all want to provide an opportunity like that to someone that has worked for it for the majority of their life.