John McCain is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the
Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election.
He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981, moved to Arizona, and
entered politics. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, he
served two terms, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, winning
re-election easily in 1992, 1998, and 2004. While generally adhering to
conservative principles, McCain at times has had a media reputation as a "maverick"
for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being
investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the
1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of
his signature concerns, which eventually led to the passage of the
McCain-Feingold Act in 2002. He is also known for his work towards restoring
diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s, and for his belief that the war
in Iraq should be fought to a successful conclusion. McCain has chaired the
Senate Commerce Committee, has opposed spending that he considered to be pork
barrel, and played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial
nominations.
McCain ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, but lost a
heated primary contest to George W. Bush. He secured the nomination in 2008
after coming back from early reversals, but lost to Democratic candidate Barack
Obama in the general election.
Born August 29, 1936, his primary personality traits are represented by
the Chinese Zodiac elemental animal sign, the Fire Rat. Fire makes this the
most active and aggressive of the breed. The normally calculating Rat can be
quite impulsive and uncharacteristically fall into the "fools rush
in" trap as they get caught up in a whirlwind of activity. He tends to be
restless and have a need to frequently change jobs and to travel, especially to
new and different places. He can burn out if not careful, but he sure is a
great person to have around when lots of enthusiasm is needed.