McCain the right choice

Choosing the leader of the free world is an important responsibility, one we all share Nov. 4.

Electing a new president of the United States is heady stuff and should never be taken lightly. For Alaskans and voters in the Mat-Su, this year’s general election will also be historic as we have the privilege to vote on a presidential ticket that includes a local, home-grown candidate.

Since her announcement Aug. 29 as Sen. John McCain’s running mate on the Republican ticket, Gov. Sarah Palin has dominated the political headlines. From her personal life to her sudden rise into the national spotlight, America and the media cannot seem to get enough Palin.

While the clamor over Palin has been revealing and entertaining, it’s time for voters to focus on the choice we have to lead the United States for the next four years.

We endorse John McCain as that leader.

As many have turned a tabloid eye to McCain’s running mate in the weeks leading up to the election, we urge voters to remember that McCain, not Palin, is the Republican candidate for president, and it’s because of McCain’s proven leadership and integrity we urge Alaska and the Mat-Su to vote McCain.

Unlike his Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama, McCain has a track record of voting his conscience above party. If put in the Oval Office, McCain can be trusted to make a decision because he believes it is right and not because of party expectations. He’s not afraid to stand up to his own party when necessary.

In contrast, Obama has a track record of toeing the Democratic Party line more than 95 percent of the time. While Democrats may herald him as their “leader,” should Obama win the White House the nation will not have gained an independently thinking president as much as a rubber-stamp for the ultra-liberal Pelosi-bots in Congress.

Aside from domestic agendas, we’re a nation at war. America needs as its Commander-in-Chief a warrior, not a wimp. McCain has fought for his country, has a military background and the experience to know that whatever anyone thinks about our war on terror in Iraq, that defeat is not an option.

This is a crucial time for America and our troops abroad, and the world is watching to see whether our new president has the fortitude to finish the job. Nobody wants a warmonger as the leader of the free world, and McCain isn’t. But he does understand that Americans cannot continue to expect our allies to sacrifice for the common good when the president cannot back up those expectations by example.

The shakiness of the nation’s economy is another reason we need McCain in the White House.

The Democratic Party has been quick to put the blame on the leadership of George W. Bush and Republicans, hoping if they repeat it enough, people will believe it. It was the Democrats who pushed legislation through in the Clinton era that loosened the credit restrictions and allowed banks and mortgage companies to make risky loans. With a Democratic majority in Congress, and the very real possibility of a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate, our nation can ill afford a party-line president.

The world will be watching Nov. 4. Send a strong, hopeful message and vote McCain.