TRANSITION | Forming the next government
05 September 2008
John McCain Pledges to Be Guided by the Public Interest
Arizona senator formally accepts Republican presidential nomination
Washington – With “gratitude, humility, and confidence,” Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican nomination for president at the party’s convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and pledged to confront challenges such as terrorism and energy sources by putting the public’s interests first.
Speaking September 4, at the culmination of the four-day convention, McCain criticized many of Democratic challenger Senator Barack Obama’s policy positions and his relative inexperience. However, he said Obama and his supporters have “my respect and admiration.”
“Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other,” McCain said.
The Arizona senator embraced the “maverick” label that has been attached to him in the past for occasionally taking unpopular positions and voting against Republican-supported programs and legislation.
“Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment and sometimes it’s not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don’t work for myself. I work for you,” he said.
He pointed to his recent support for the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, despite diminishing public support for continuing the military engagement. “[T]hat strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans,” he said.
McCain said he is prepared to handle the many security threats currently facing the United States, and knows both the capabilities and the limitations of military force.
“I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace,” he said.
McCain warned that both al-Qaida and Iran continue to threaten the United States and its interests. He also was critical of Russia’s leadership, describing them as people “rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power” who have “rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power.”
He pledged to work to establish good relations with Russia, but said he could not “turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.”
On energy policy, McCain said as president he would embark on “the most ambitious national project in decades,” to reduce U.S. dependence on “countries that don’t like us very much.” He called for drilling new oil wells within U.S. territory; building more nuclear power plants; and increasing the use of wind, tide, solar, natural gas and clean coal technology.
“We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet,” he said.
Throughout his speech, McCain referred to his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and the challenges he and other American soldiers faced. “I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s,” he said, adding “My country saved me, and I cannot forget it.”
For additional information, see excerpts from McCain's acceptance speech on America.gov.
