JOHN MCCAIN: THE EXPERIENCE TO LEAD

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, John McCain responded to recent assertions by Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor Mitt Romney that their experience makes them the most qualified candidates to lead the United States as President.  While he respects his opponents' accomplishments, McCain welcomes the challenge to compare all of the candidates' experiences, so that the voters can make an informed choice about who is best qualified to be Commander-in-Chief from day one.  Here is a brief summary of his qualifications:

• Graduated U.S. Naval Academy, 1958
• Earned flight wings, Pensacola, Florida, 1960
• Deployed on aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise in Caribbean during the Cuban Missile Crisis
• Served as Lieutenant Commander aboard aircraft carriers U.S.S. Forrestal and U.S.S. Orinsky in the Vietnam War, flying and leading combat air strikes over North Vietnam
• Shot down over Hanoi, October 26, 1967
• Served 5 ½ years as Prisoner of War, 1967-1973
• Attended National War College, 1973-1974
• Served as commanding officer of largest attack squadron in the U.S. Navy, 1976
• Served as U.S. Navy's chief liaison to the U.S. Senate, 1977-1981
• Retired a Captain, USN, 1981
• Elected to U.S. House of Representatives, 1982
• Elected to U.S. Senate, 1986
• Has served on Senate Armed Services Committee for 20 years, now senior Republican member of committee
• Played a leadership role in Congress in every major national security issue since the deployment of U.S. Marines to Beirut in 1983
• Chairman of the International Republican Institute
• Chairs an annual senior delegation to a NATO conference in Europe
• Has travelled extensively, knows and has worked with scores of world leaders
• Has written about, spoken and debated extensively on national security questions for two decades

Because of his long and deep experience in national security, John McCain had the judgment to know in 2003 that we were making terrible mistakes in Iraq that would doom us to failure, and he said so repeatedly.  Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani did not.  He had the foresight to call almost four years ago for the strategy we are now successfully following in Iraq.  Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani did not.  And he played an indispensible leadership role in support of General Petraeus' new plan for Iraq against the united opposition of Senator Hillary Clinton and other senior Democratic leaders.  Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani did not.  So, when it comes to experience, we think it's pretty clear who in this race has the right kind, who uses it to make the right decisions, and who has the courage to defend their position even when it is politically unpopular at the time: John McCain.

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