Abortion
Sen. McCain says Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision and says the abortion question should be left to the individual states to legislate.
He calls abortion a human tragedy and supports a constitutional amendment banning abortion except in cases of rape, incest and threat to the life of the mother.
*Quotes:
02/19/2007
"I do not support Roe vs. Wade. It should be overturned."
11/19/2006
"I don't think a constitutional amendment is probably going to take place. But I do believe that it's very likely, or possible, that a Supreme Court should -- could overturn Roe v. Wade."
Energy/Environment
Sen. McCain has called for a cap on carbon emissions. and is the chief co-sponsor of a bill that sets mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
His plan would allow companies to trade excess carbon emission capacity and require emissions to return to 2004 levels by 2012 and to 1990 levels by 2020.
He calls for investment in alternative-energy sources such as nuclear power, ethanol, fuel cells, biodiesel or natural gas. He says that ethanol will play a big part in energy independence.
*Quotes:
04/23/2007
"The burning of oil and other fossil fuels is contributing to the dangerous accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, altering our climate with the potential for major social, economic and political upheaval."
04/23/2007
"The world is already feeling the powerful effects of global warming, and far more dire consequences are predicted if we let the growing deluge of greenhouse gas emissions continue, and wreak havoc with God's creation."
Immigration
Sen. McCain wants a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would improve border surveillance and enforcement, strengthen penalties against those who hire illegal immigrants and stop document fraud. He wants to develop a sensible guest worker program that allows illegal immigrants to earn legitimate status.
Sen. McCain sponsored the 2006 comprehensive immigration reform bill. The bill failed to achieve final passage, but it would have allowed some illegal immigrants in the U.S. to work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check.
Sen. McCain says that securing the borders is one of the federal government's most important obligations.
*Quotes:
05/03/2007
"We have to secure our borders. But we also need a temporary worker program, and we have to dispose of the issue of 12 million people who are in this country illegally."
03/06/2007
"The need to bring illegal immigrants out of hiding and end the de facto amnesty that is the status quo is more important than ever in this post-9/11 era of terrorist threat. But this effort must never entail giving away citizenship to those who have broken our laws."
03/06/2007
"Legitimate status must be earned by paying stiff fines and back taxes, undergoing criminal and security checks, passing English and civics tests, remaining employed for six years before going to the back of the line to achieve legal permanent residence status and adhering to other strict requirements."
Iraq
Sen. McCain says the administration's new strategy in Iraq can succeed. He says that if the U.S. fails to stabilize Iraq a genocide will occur there and the U.S. will see a greater threat from terrorism.
He has strongly criticized Democrats on their calls for a troop withdrawal timeline and has repeatedly faulted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for saying the war in Iraq was lost.
Sen. McCain has criticized the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq. He has said that the war was terribly mismanaged and has said that Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history.
*Quotes:
05/03/2007
"When on the floor of the House of Representatives they cheer -- they cheer -- when they pass a withdrawal motion that is a certain date for surrender, what were they cheering? Surrender? Defeat? We must win in Iraq. If we withdraw, there will be chaos; there will be genocide; and they will follow us home."
04/12/2007
"If we declare a date for withdrawal, then the bad guys and Al Qaeda and the rest of them lay back until we leave."
Taxes
Sen. McCain says tax cuts work best when accompanied by lower spending. He blames excessive spending for Republican losses in the 2006 elections.
He was one of only two Republican senators to oppose the 2001 tax cuts saying that too many of the benefits went to the most fortunate at the expense of the middle class. He was one of only three Republican senators to oppose the 2003 tax cuts, making the same argument. He did vote to extend the tax cuts.
Sen. McCain has said that he will not raise taxes but would not go as far as to take a pledge to that. He says a complete repeal of the estate tax isn't necessary.
*Quotes:
05/03/2007
"Spending is destroying the future of this country. And we've got to get it under control. And as I started to say before, the first pork barrel earmark bill that crosses my desk as president of the United States, I'm going to veto it and I'm going to make the authors of it famous."
04/29/2007
"The fact is that in 2000 I had a proposal that restrained spending. I voted against those tax cuts because there was no restraint of spending, and spending lurched out of control completely. If we had adopted my proposals for tax cuts, which were huge, we would be talking about further tax cuts today, not out of control and rampant spending in Washington."
04/29/2007
"I've never supported tax increases. I don't support them now. ... The fact is my record is very clear of opposition to tax increases. I oppose tax increases."
*Source: FOXNews.com