John McCain is also a Vietnam War veteran. During the war he served as a naval pilot. Flying a bombing mission, he was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. He spent over five years as a prisoner of war. This bit of personal history has served him in good stead in his presidential campaign, giving him a reputation of toughness and courage, giving him the appearance of a man likely to be firm and unyielding in his defense of the United states.

John McCain first ran for president in the 2000 election, but lost his party's nomination to George W. Bush, who has held the presidency for two terms. In the 2008 campaign, John McCain has been viewed by many pundits and bloggers as the heir apparent to the Bush administration, expected to carry on with similar policies economically and socially.

Especially similar is McCain's hard-line foreign policy, notoriously demonstrated by McCain's joking parody of the Beach Boy's "Barbara Ann:" "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran." He has promised to continue a tough, pro-active approach to terrorism, attempting to nip it in the bud both home and abroad.

Unlike his Republican predecessor, John McCain has a bi-partisan appeal, due largely to his tendency during his stint as senator to go against his party on key issues. He is viewed as being too liberal by the more conservative factions of the Republican Party, especially with regard to his stances on abortion and gay rights.

McCain ignited a firestorm of interest in his campaign by taking Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate.