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Editorial: McCain is the right Republican for the job

After her husband's 1982 run for U.S. House of Representatives, Cindy McCain kept one thing to memorialize the campaign - a bronzed pair of shoes.

The shoes were the third pair her husband wore out as he trekked through Arizona's stiflingly hot First District in a door-to-door campaign.

Other momentos Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, has collected include a 25-inch iguana, autographed boxing gloves from Evander Holyfield and three bricks from the Hanoi Hilton, the prison where he spent a part of his POW years.

Reaching out to his constituents on a personal basis, as he has done in Arizona campaigns for nearly two decades, and standing up for American ideologies, as he did for five years in Vietnam and 23 years in the Navy, are some of the qualities that make McCain the person best-fit for the presidency.

This week, although suited for battle against George W. Bush's viscious multi-million-dollar campaign, McCain will make an important bid for GOP nomination in Michigan and a symbolic bid here in Arizona.

In light of President Clinton's impeachment and crumbling lame duck years, Americans are looking for a decent person to assume the role of commander-in-chief. Luckily there is one, and only one, decent person in contentions for the job - McCain.

Bush may stand a chance of winning the nomination with his daddy's good name on his side, but he will wither when faced with questions of international experience and foreign affairs, which will surely come up in the general election.

Vice President Al Gore - the most likely Democratic nominee - would not stand a chance to McCain's "Straight Talk Express."

Gore, the self-proclaimed father of the Internet, has flip-flopped on many issues including his stance on abortion. And when asked about his series of 1980s pro-life votes, he has denied his actions.

Bill Bradley, the other man shooting for the democratic nomination, has shrunk back from calling Gore on his hypocrisy - a tactic that would never hold up in general election.

And now is the time that Americans truly do need an upright person in office-not someone who has launched millions of dollars worth of mudslinging or someone buried knee deep in an deceit-ridden administration.

We need someone with courage and intensity, knowledge of international affairs and experience in Washington.

Throughout his race for the nomination, McCain has encouraged citizens to vote, not just for him, but for who they feel fit. So in tomorrow's primary, Arizonans should vote for whom they feel is best for the job, but remember that McCain is the only one with all the qualifications.