This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.

I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes...]]> Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600 "We're going to cut taxes for working families. And we will cut business taxes to help create jobs, and keep American businesses in America. Senator Obama's massive new tax increase would kill jobs and make a bad economy worse. I'm not going to let that happen. We need pro-growth and pro-jobs economic policies, not pro-government spending programs paid for with higher taxes.

"If I'm elected President, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money. Senator Obama will. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do. And I will veto every single pork barrel bill Congresses passes.

"I'm not going to spend $750 billion dollars of your money just...]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 But when that day arrives, and the worries of financial crisis have fallen away, we will find awaiting our country all of the same great challenges and dangers that were there all along. They mattered before the economic turmoil of the present. They will matter still when it has passed. And in a time of war ... at a moment of danger for our country and the world ... let it not be said of us that we lost sight of these challenges.

Today I consulted with a number of distinguished citizens who know, from experience, what matters most in the affairs of our country. They understand that no responsibility of government is more fundamental than protecting this country from the threats of...]]> Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 I have a plan to hold the line on taxes and cut them to make America more competitive and create jobs here at home. We're going to double the child deduction for working families. We will cut the capital gains tax. And we will cut business taxes to help create jobs, and keep American businesses in America. Raising taxes makes a bad economy much worse. Keeping taxes low creates jobs, keeps money in your hands and strengthens our economy.

If I'm elected President, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money. Senator Obama will. And he can't do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you...]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 That is what change means for Barack the Redistributor: It means taking your money and giving it to someone else. He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs. He is more interested in controlling wealth than in creating it, in redistributing money instead of spreading opportunity. I am going to create wealth for all Americans, by creating opportunity for all Americans.

We've all heard his campaign trail promise: he says he only wants to tax the rich. But these unscripted moments and his record tell a different story. He supported the Democratic budget plan passed just this year that called for raising taxes on people making just...]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Senator Obama may say he's trying to soak the rich, but it's the middle class who are going to get put through the wringer, because a lot of his promised tax increase misses the target. To pay for nearly a trillion dollars in new government spending, his tax increase would impact 50 percent of small business income in this country, and the jobs of 16 million middle class Americans who work for those small businesses.

My opponent's massive new tax increase is exactly the wrong approach in an economic slowdown. Just yesterday, we received news that jobless claims have increased by 15,000. And yet, just this week, Senator Obama announced that his plan would have a work requirement,...]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Every so often, my opponent gives us all a little glimpse of what an Obama presidency would be like in the real world. And last week his campaign actually found itself on a detour into the real world -- in the driveway of Joe the Plumber.

Now, Joe didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house, and he didn't ask to be famous. He certainly didn't ask for the political attacks on him from the Obama campaign. Joe's dream is to own a small business that will create jobs, and the attacks on him are an attack on small businesses all over the country. Small businesses employ 84 percent of Americans, and we need to help small businesses, and not raise their taxes.

As it happened,...]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 After months of campaign trail eloquence, we finally learned what Senator Obama's economic goal is. As he told Joe, he wants to quote "spread the wealth around." He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Americans. Senator Obama is more interested in controlling who gets your piece of the pie than he is in growing the pie. This explains some big problems with my opponent's claim that he will cut income taxes for 95 percent of Americans. You might ask: How do you cut income taxes for 95 percent of Americans, when more than 40 percent pay no income taxes right now? How do you reduce the number zero?

Well,...]]> Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn't recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.

The question Joe asked about our economy is important, because Senator Obama's plan would raise taxes on small businesses that employ 16 million Americans. Senator Obama's plan will kill those jobs at just the time when we need to be creating more jobs. My...]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Events are moving fast in my campaign and, yes, it's true that this morning I have dismissed my entire team of senior advisors, all of their positions will now be held by a man named Joe the Plumber.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: Already -- but already, my friends, my opponents have been subjecting Joe to their vicious attack machine.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCAIN: His veracity has been questioned by Barack Obama's running mate, Joe the Six-term senator. He claims that this honest, hard-working small businessman could not possibly have enough income to face a tax increase under the Obama plan.

What they don't know, what...]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Senator Obama told Joe that he wanted to spread his wealth around. America didn't become the greatest nation on earth by spreading the wealth; we became the greatest nation by creating new wealth.

This is the choice that we face. Three weeks from now, you will choose a new President. Choose well. There is much at stake.

These are hard times. Our economy is in crisis. Financial markets are collapsing. Credit is drying up. Your savings are in danger. Your retirement is at risk. Jobs are disappearing. The cost of health care, your children's college, gasoline and groceries are rising all the time with no end in sight. While your most important asset -- your home -- is losing...]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 If I am elected president, I will help to create jobs for Americans in the most effective way a president can do this - with tax cuts that are directed specifically to create jobs, and protect your life savings. I will stand up to the corrupt ways of Washington, the wasteful spending and the abuses of power and I will end these abuses, whatever it takes. I will lead reforms to help families keep their homes, and retirees to keep their savings, and college students to pay their tuition, and every citizen to afford health care, and America to reclaim its energy independence. These will be my priorities. We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting...]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The next President won't have time to get used to the office. He won't have the luxury of studying up on the issues before he acts. He will have to act immediately. And to do that, he will need experience, courage, judgment and a bold plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight.

I've been fighting for this country since I was seventeen years old, and I have the scars to prove it. If I'm elected President, I will fight...]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 In this time of crisis, we must go to the heart of the problem, and right now that problem is a housing crisis. And so, in the debate this week with my opponent, I proposed a plan to help home owners across America,

Under my orders, as president, the Secretary of the Treasury will carry out a Homeownership Resurgence Plan. The United States government will support the refinancing of distressed mortgages for homeowners and replace them with manageable mortgages. The funds aren't new, but the priorities will be when we put the financial strength of our government back on the side of working families. With so much on the line, the moment requires that government act - and as president...]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Under my orders, as president, the Secretary of the Treasury will carry out a Homeownership Resurgence Plan. The United States government will purchase mortgages directly from homeowners and mortgages services, and replace them with manageable mortgages.

The dream of owning a home should not be crushed under the weight of a bad mortgage. The moment requires that government act - and as president I intend to act, quickly and decisively.

In so many ways, Washington is still on the wrong track. We need change and I know how to deliver it.

The status quo is not on the ballot. We are going to see change in Washington. The question is: in what direction will we...]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Washington is still on the wrong track and we still need change. The status quo is not on the ballot. We are going to see change in Washington. The question is: in what direction will we go? Will our country be a better place under the leadership of the next president - a more secure, prosperous, and just society? Will you be better off, in the jobs you hold now and in the opportunities you hope for? Will your sons and daughters grow up in the kind of country you wish for them, rising in the world and finding in their own lives the best of America? And which candidate's experience - in government and in life - makes him a more reliable leader for our country and commander in chief...]]> Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 We are square in the greatest financial crisis of our lifetimes. And I am pleased to report that today, I will be returning to the floor of the Senate to vote on a bill that marks a decisive step in the right direction. The original proposal was flawed. I urged additions of taxpayer protections, stronger oversight, limitations on executive compensation and more protections for people's bank accounts. I am pleased that these are being added to improve the original bill. It took Congress a while, and there were costs to these delays. But they have awakened to the danger. And today, with the unity that this crisis demands, Congress will once again work to restore confidence and...]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Businesses all over the country cannot borrow to finance their own operations and pay their bills. If we do nothing, many may fail.

Sonic Corporation, a drive-in restaurant chain based in Oklahoma, learned on Thursday that one of its lenders, GE Capital, had stopped extending new loans to the chain's franchisees. That will block plans to rebuild restaurants, add equipment and open new locations. When small businesses like Sonic franchisees can't borrow, contractors don't get the remodeling work, equipment-makers lose sales, and restaurants go out of business. It hurts the entire community.

When financing dries up, students can't get loans.

In Wisconsin, more than 100...]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 "I returned to Washington last week to work on a bipartisan rescue plan. It was the only plan at that time on the table but lacked enough support to pass. It also lacked sufficient accountability and transparency to justify expenditure of the taxpayers' money.

"At the time, the concerns of all members were not being heard. My colleagues were worried about the size of the plan and the risk it posed to taxpayers. I shared those concerns and I laid out principles that I thought must be adhered to. Those principles included responsible oversight, effective transparency, added protections for the taxpayers, and a cap on excessive salaries for executives.

"I also believe that the...]]> Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 We know this is a crisis with serious implications and consequences for our nation and others. History must not record that when our nation faced such a moment, its leadership was unable to put aside politics and to focus in a unified way to solve this problem.

It's time for everyone to recall that the political process is not an end in itself, nor is it intended to serve those of us who are in the middle of it. In the Senate of the United States, our duty is to serve the people of this country, and we can serve them best now by putting politics aside and dealing in a focused, straightforward, bi-partisan way with the problem at hand.

For the Congress, this is one of those...]]> Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration's proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or...]]> Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I'd like to talk about some issues that are of particular concern to Irish-Americans, but before I do, I'd like to take a couple minutes to talk about an issue that is concerning to us all, and that is the economic crisis that we have all been following since last week.

On Friday, I laid out my plan for addressing this crisis. At its heart, my plan is about keeping people in their homes and safeguarding the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system and capital markets. These are my priorities.

Senator Obama has declined to put forth a plan of his own. At a time of crisis, when leadership is needed, Senator Obama has simply not provided...]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 As Senator Obama's leader in Congress memorably put it the other day -- and I quote -- "no one knows what to do." Perhaps given that reaction, it shouldn't surprise us that the Congressional leaders of this do-nothing Congress also said that they weren't going to take action until after the election, claiming that it wasn't their fault. I am hopeful that last night's discussions are a sign they have changed their mind and will take action soon. But any action should be designed to keep people in their homes and safe guard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system.

There are certainly plenty of places to point fingers, and it may be hard to pinpoint the...]]> Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Two years ago I warned this Administration and Congress that regulations for our home loan agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, needed to be fixed...

But nothing was done.

Senator Obama talks a tough game on the financial markets but the facts tell a different story. He took more money from Fannie and Freddie than any Senator but the Democratic chairman of the committee that regulates them. He put Fannie Mae's CEO who helped create this disaster in charge of finding his Vice President. Fannie's former General Counsel is a senior advisor to his campaign. Whose side do you think he is on? When I pushed legislation to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Senator Obama was...]]> Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 "We are going to fight the special interests and corruption in Washington. We are going to fight the greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street. And we are going to create prosperity for our people.

Now is the time to grow our economy. My plan does that. Senator Obama's does not. He has said in recent days that he may delay his economic plan because of the adverse impact of his tax increases. Even Senator Obama admits that the agenda he has been pushing for would hurt our economy.

"That is exactly the wrong approach. I am going to create jobs and get our economy back on its feet. I am going to lead our nation to energy independence with new technologies here in Michigan...]]> Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Americans put a lot of trust in the bankers and brokerage firms of Wall Street. They depend on the financial service sector to protect their savings, IRA's, 401k's, and pension accounts. But many leaders in finance have proven unworthy of that trust. Government has a clear responsibility to act in defense of the public interests, and that is exactly what I intend to do. We are going to make sure that American's accounts are protected. I pledge that FDIC and SPIC will have all the support they need to fully back the savings of the American people.

Too many people on Wall Street have been recklessly wagering instead of making the sound investments we expected of them. And when their...]]> Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Now that our party conventions are behind us, and both my opponent and I have chosen our running-mates, the choice before America is clearer than ever. For Governor Palin and me, change is more than a slogan, and it's not about party. It's about changing the way business is done, and it's the reason we entered politics to begin with.

What struck me the most about Senator Obama's convention was how much talk we heard about "change" from leaders in Congress who are running the show. Senator Obama has gone out of his way to support his party leadership. But to really fight for change in Washington, you have to know just who you're taking on, and Senator Obama just doesn't get it. The...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 As always, I'm indebted to my wife, Cindy, and my seven children. The pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from the crowded calendar of our nation's business. But I have treasured them all the more, and can't imagine a life without the happiness you give me. Cindy said a lot of nice things about me tonight. But, in truth, she's more my inspiration than I am hers. Her concern for those less blessed than we are -- victims of land mines, children born in poverty and with birth defects -- shows the measure of her humanity. I know she will make a great First Lady.

When I was growing up, my father was often at sea, and the job of raising my brother, sister and me would...]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Let me tell you, I'm very happy.

Thank you. Twice is enough.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. That's three times. Thank you. Thank you.

I'm very happy -- I'm very happy today to spend my birthday with you and to make a historic announcement in Dayton, a city built on hard, honest work of good people.

(APPLAUSE)

Like the entire industrial Midwest, Dayton has contributed much to the prosperity and progress of America, and now, in these tough, changing times, after all you've done for our country, you want your government to understand what you're going through, to stand on your side and fight for you.

MCCAIN: And that's what I intend to...]]> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 In all the years since, the men and women of the Legion have stayed faithful to their mission of service to one another and to country. In Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere, America's veterans have faced different enemies, but they have always found the same friend and ally in the Legion, the VFW, and other veterans' service organizations. All of us returned from war with a few experiences we'd gladly forget, but the friendships and camaraderie we brought home are forever. For keeping us all together, and helping those most in need, we're all in the debt of the American Legion.

The men and women of the Legion believe in their country's cause in the world, and you have...]]> Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Here was a candidate for the presidency of the United States, asked for his position on one of the central moral and legal questions of our time, and this was the best he could offer: It's above his pay grade. He went on to assure his interviewer that there is a, quote, "moral and ethical element to this issue." Americans expect more of their leaders.

There seems to be a pattern here in my opponent's approach to many hard issues. Whether it's the surge in Iraq that has brought us near to victory, or the issue of campaign reform, or the question of offshore drilling, Senator Obama's speeches can be impressive. But when it's time for straight answers, clear conviction, and decisive...]]> Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Two decades ago, this rig would not have been possible. But since then, technology has enabled us to drill further offshore with even greater efficiency and environmental safety.

Senator Obama opposes new drilling. He has said it will not "solve our problem" and that "it's not real." He's wrong, and the American people know it. This platform we are at today sits above a field of 160 million barrels of oil, and is capable of producing on a daily basis 55,000 barrels of oil and 72 million cubic feet of natural gas.

Our nation is sending $700 billion overseas every year to countries that don't like us very much. When I'm president that's going to stop. We're going to...]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 All of us take pride in being members of this great organization. After its founding in 1914, the VFW served many of the more than four million American veterans of the First World War. Today just one of those veterans survives, a man of 107 named Frank Buckles. Frank lives in West Virginia. And I have a feeling that word will reach him if we all join in a round of applause for the last doughboy.

In all the years since, the men and women of the VFW have stayed faithful to their mission of serving those who have served their country. In Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere, America's veterans have faced different enemies, but they have always found the same friend and ally...]]> Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 October 2008

October 29: McCain's National Security Remarks in Tampa

October 28: McCain on the Stump in Hershey

October 27: Redistributing Wealth vs. Creating Wealth

October 24: McCain's Economic Remarks in DenverOctober 22: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Following fraudulent parliamentary elections in 2003, a peaceful, democratic revolution took place, led by the U.S.-educated lawyer Mikheil Saakashvili. The Rose Revolution changed things dramatically and, following his election, President Saakashvili embarked on a series of wide-ranging and successful reforms. I've met with President Saakashvili many times, including during several trips to Georgia.

What the people of Georgia have accomplished - in terms of democratic governance, a Western orientation, and domestic reform - is nothing short of remarkable. That makes Russia's recent actions against the Georgians all the more alarming. In the face of Russian aggression, the very...]]> Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Now, I want to take a minute here on this issue, because I think Senator Obama is a little confused. Yesterday he accused me of having President Bush's policies on energy. That's odd, because he voted for the President's energy bill and I voted against it. I voted against it because it had 2.8 billion dollars in corporate welfare to oil companies that are already making record profits. Senator Obama voted for that bill and its big oil giveaways. I know he hasn't been in the Senate that long, but even in the real world voting for something means you support it, and voting against something means you oppose it.

Just like on the energy bill, I have argued for reform and change...]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 We need an all-of-the-above plan to address our energy crisis, with alternative energy, drilling, and nuclear power. That means drilling here, drilling now, in the United States of America and off the United States of American's coast.

Everybody knows that drilling is a very vital part of bridging our gap between our dependence on foreign oil, which is transferring $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. And we have the -- we have the resources to be explored and exploited, and we could obtain some of the benefit of that within months.

My opponent, Senator Obama, opposes both storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. He opposes offshore drilling...]]> Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 When my own party turned out to be just as financially irresponsible as my opponent's party - spending recklessly and leaving more debt for your children to pay - I spoke up. When America needed reform in energy policy, the current administration and likeminded Republicans in Congress served up yet another energy bill stuffed with corporate welfare - and Senator Obama joined them. I spoke up for real reform to lower energy prices, and to gain energy security for our country.

My independence hasn't always made me friends in Washington. It hasn't always done much for my political prospects, either. The pundits and pollsters have written me off many times - and, now and then, they...]]> Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? Equal employment opportunity is set firmly down in law. But with jobs becoming scarcer -- and more than 400,000 Americans t hrown out of work just this year -- that can amount to an equal share of diminished opportunity. For years, business ownership by African Americans has been growing rapidly. This is all to the good, but that hopeful trend is threatened in a struggling economy -- with the cost of energy, health care, and just about everything else rising sharply.

As in other challenges African Americans have overcome, these problems require clarity of purpose. They require the...]]> Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Oddly enough, my opponent advocates the deployment of two new combat brigades to Afghanistan -- in other words, a surge. We're left to wonder how he can deny that the surge in Iraq has succeeded, while at the same time announcing that a surge is just what we need in Afghanistan. I'll leave all these questions for my opponent and his team of 300 foreign policy advisors to work out for themselves. With luck, they'll get their story straight by the time the Obama campaign returns to North America.

I spent the past week in Maine, Upstate New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Colorado. And I spoke with voters about how to get the American economy running at full...]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Senator Obama made a different choice. He not only opposed the new strategy, but actually tried to prevent us from implementing it. He didn't just advocate defeat, he tried to legislate it. When his efforts failed, he continued to predict the failure of our troops. As our soldiers and Marines prepared to move into Baghdad neighborhoods and Anbari villages, Senator Obama predicted that their efforts would make the sectarian violence in Iraq worse, not better.

And as our troops took the fight to the enemy, Senator Obama tried to cut off funding for them. He was one of only 14 senators to vote against the emergency funding in May 2007 that supported our troops in Iraq and...]]> Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Although the situation in Iraq is much improved, the war in Afghanistan has taken a bad turn that must be quickly reversed. Security in that country has deteriorated, and our enemies are on the offensive. And it is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to victory over the Taliban.

Our commanders on the ground in Afghanistan say they need at least three additional brigades. I will ensure our commanders in Afghanistan get the troops they need by asking NATO to send more and by sending U.S. troops as they become available.

But sending more forces, by itself, is not enough to prevail. What we need in Afghanistan is exactly what General David Petraeus...]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 As our country has changed these past few decades, so have many of your debates within the NAACP, and within other civil-rights organizations. In the days of separate lunch counters, bullhorns, and fire hoses, the mission was hard and dangerous, but it was easily defined. The advancement of African Americans meant equal protection under law, in a country where the law had simply codified injustice. That cause required the enormous courage and commitment of generations, and a determination to hold this nation to its own creed.

You know better than I do how different the challenges are today for those who champion the cause of equal opportunity in America. Equal access to public...]]>