An Exclusive Interview With John McCain (page 2 of 3)

McCain's Life in Service

Q: On October 26, 1967, you were shot down over Hanoi, wounded, held captive, not released until March 14, 1973. Did you ever imagine that you might be president of the United States?
A: Never. Never. Never. I never contemplated it. I just wanted to get back to flying status and continue being a Navy pilot. That was my ambition.

Q: You're the son and grandson of admirals. What would they think of your choice of a second career?
A: [Laughs] I think they would be astonished, because when my father and grandfather were in their formative period, military officers were very apolitical, particularly naval officers. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what -- I would guess my father was a Republican …

Q: A lot of Barack Obama supporters think you are not just old-fashioned but old. What would you say to them?
A: Americans are interested in judgment and experience and knowledge. I don't think that Senator Obama has shown good judgment, whether it be about the war in Iraq or a number of other issues. I know they say those things, and they're certainly free to say it, but I look at President Eisenhower and I look at Harry Truman and I look at other experienced leaders of our country, including Ronald Reagan, and I don't think we have done too badly with them. And I have seen what has happened to inexperienced leaders who have come to the presidency, and some of them, even Jack Kennedy, have had pretty rotten beginnings.

Q: Do you think Senator Obama is too inexperienced?
A: I don't think he has shown the right judgments. The war in Iraq -- he was against the surge. He still refuses to acknowledge that the surge is succeeding and we are winning. That shows bad judgment, in my view. He went to Ohio and said that he would unilaterally renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Now he says he's for free trade. After a while, Americans are going to be a little cynical about how trustworthy he is. Oh, and by the way, he promised and committed to taking public financing. I mean, it's in writing. He said it time after time. [Editor's note: On June 19, Obama announced he would not take public financing for his campaign.]

Q: One of our readers asks, "Why would you want to be president and inherit all the problems we have right now?"
A: Because I have spent my life in service to the country. I think there's nothing nobler than to serve a cause greater than your self-interest, and I think I am qualified with the experience and knowledge and background to make the judgments that are necessary. I am very humbled by the nomination for the party.

Q: There are many problems to choose from, but if you had to pick just one to focus on initially, what would that big priority be?
A: It is obvious that a president's first priority is to take whatever steps necessary to ensure the security of our nation, but hand in hand with that has to be a restoration of trust and confidence in government. Recent polls in the last weeks show that the approval rating of Congress is at historic lows. In one poll I saw, 84 percent of the American people think the country is on the wrong track. We have got to give them hope, optimism, and a plan to restore trust and confidence. That means eliminating [recent] spending practices and a commitment to fixing Social Security and Medicare. Trust and confidence have got to be restored.

Q: A reader question on another topic: A mother of a 21-year-old son wants to know where you stand on the military draft.
A: I am opposed to a draft. I think it is unfair to the lowest-income Americans. I think the nature of the 21st-century military requires extensive training, which doesn't lend itself to short-term service. Finally, our all-volunteer force is the most efficient and most professional and best equipped. The problem is that they are too small. We need to expand the size of the military, not go for the draft.

Q: Do you still favor some sort of national service for all young people?
A: I am not in favor of compulsory national service, but I have supported strongly every kind of incentive for them to do so, [including] educational benefits, enhanced abilities to receive certain benefits, and support programs that will encourage national service.

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