Profile: John McCain

EXPERIENCE: U.S. senator from Arizona, 1986-present; U.S. congressman, 1982-86; director, Navy Senate Liaison Office, Washington, 1977-81; captain, Navy pilot, 1977; prisoner of war, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1967-73; Commander, U.S. Navy, 1958.

EDUCATION: U.S. Naval Academy, 1958; National War College, 1973-74.

FAMILY: Wife, Cindy Hensley; five sons and two daughters; divorced once.

THE ISSUES:

ABORTION:
• Does not favor abortion rights.
• Says Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

EDUCATION:
• Favors parental choice of schools, including vouchers for private schools when approved by local officials, and right of parents to choose home schooling.

GAY MARRIAGE:
• Would let states regulate it.
• Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it.

GLOBAL WARMING:
• Chief co-sponsor of a bill that sought mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
• Plan would require emissions to return to 2004 levels by 2012 and to 1990 levels by 2020.

GUN CONTROL:
• Voted against ban on assault-type weapons, but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows.
• Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits.

HEALTH INSURANCE:
• Favors $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals, $5,000 for families, to make health insurance more affordable.
• In gaining the tax credit, workers could not deduct the portion of their workplace health insurance paid by their employers.
• Sees no mandate for universal coverage.

IMMIGRATION:
• Sponsored 2006 bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check.
• Now says he would secure the border first.
• Supports border fence.

IRAQ:
• Opposes scheduling a troop withdrawal, saying latest strategy is succeeding.
• Supported decision to go to war, but was early critic of the manner in which administration prosecuted it.

SOCIAL SECURITY:
• Would consider "almost anything" as part of a compromise to save Social Security, yet rules out higher payroll taxes for now.

TAXES:
• Would generally extend Bush's tax cuts, which could cost $2.3 trillion to keep in place until 2017.
• Opposed some of Bush's tax cuts because they were not wedded to spending cuts, but now says the tax cuts should be made permanent.
• Would eliminate alternative minimum tax.