Why John McCain is our best bet

First of all, we know who he is. His footprints of service have stretched across the world for decades. Second, and equally as important, he knows who he is. Third, no one owns the Senator from Arizona. That alone tells us why he's certified as "the Maverick."

McCain's dedication and sacrifices come naturally, inbred with the gold standard of service-to-country by his forefathers. Never before has this been more important; electing a leader we know inside and out. A buzz word, these days is "transparent." That would be John McCain. Take him to the bank. Pun intended.

Which leads us to the current, major issue of this campaign: America's been brought to its knees in regards to economic crisis. Further, the truth that our nation sits in the shadows of terrorist hate continually haunts us. We must have a strong, tested, leader at the switch, one whose ego long ago was satiated. Things could get much worse with just one, well placed, terrorist strike.

We've watched the Democratic Congress duplicate the chaos of a Republican Congress. Those corrupt rascals have continued business as usual, generating ratings lower than the sitting President. They even failed to pass their own bail-out bill, this week, in a shocking collapse of leadership.

Pay attention to this fact: McCain, notably, is not part of the corruption. Even earmarks are shunned; never, not once, has he brought them home to Arizona. But, he knows the game players and who's on the take, a useful advantage in the Oval Office. We need him there.

McCain issued several warnings over the corruption in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, (Congress, May 25, 2006), whose bedmates, by the way, are the current Congressional leadership. Two weeks ago, he moved quickly to assist in the search for solutions, on Capitol Hill. The media mocked him, while he worked to protect "main street," then multi-tasked and whipped his opponent in debate.

Make no mistake: McCain is committed to fixing the mess. His priorities include: Accountability for Wall Street and government; a high level oversight board; limits on executive, golden parachutes; protections for taxpayers and a tax policy to generate family prosperity and business incentives.

There's lots of talk about "regulation." McCain knows the difference between the smart kinds and those that hog tie citizens and business, such as in our miserable health care system.

Energy's part of the whole: The forward thinking Senator proposes a comprehensive plan to take us to energy independence - the "Lexington Project." Look it up and see for yourselves. It assures lower gas prices through utilizing all energy sources.  And, he'll drill. 

And, when we ask -- what President can possibly fix what ails our magnificent nation, the answer is found in all of the above.  Further, it will take someone who's proven over and over that he can reach across the aisle, across borders, races, cultures and gender; a man who hosted for years, women's educational events in his home state. I was privileged to emcee more than a decade of those and can speak for the heart and soul of this leader.  He walks the talk by teaming up with an exceptional woman to round out his candidacy in support of energy, women, families and special needs children.

Folks, this is a no brainer. While others need the time to find them selves and develop experience, McCain is ready, now.  No guess work, no fatal practice runs.

Linda Turley-Hansen is a syndicated columnist and former veteran Phoenix television news anchorwoman who lives in the East Valley. Her column appears monthly. She can be reached by e-mail at letters@lindastake.com.