John McCain was born on a Naval Base in Panama.
He was raised an Episcopalian and went to an Episcopalian school but now attends church services at the North Phoenix Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist denomination.[1]
His actions and words indicate a very religious man who sees no problem with the combination of church and state. He has said of the origins of the United States:
So [the founding fathers] didn't mean, in my view, that in separation of church and state that there is no place for God, a superior being or creator in our discourse and in our lives.[2]
Beyond that, McCain has supported the use of religious organizations, that would theoretically take government funding, to handle social and national problems as well as displaying the 10 commandments on public monuments.[3]
It would seem that McCain would have no problem with a theocratic government in the U.S. saying that the U.S. is a Christian nation and should have Christian leaders, much to the dissatisfaction of American Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Atheists, and basically everything else. He has said:
I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith [for president].[4]
Luckily, God isn't the only thing in his politics
McCain has been in politics for 35 years. It's safe to say he knows the game. He's a Republican and ran for president against Barack Obama in 2008. He now serves as the senior senator from Arizona, a state known for very conservative politics, particularly in regard to immigrants.[5]
McCain is himself very conservative, although he has the ability to bridge some divides between Republicans and Democrats with his moderate views, which is part of the reason he was picked to run against Obama. Still, he was given a 83 out of 100 on the American Conservative Union's conservative test.[6]
When it comes to specific policies, having been a politician for so long, McCain has changed his views on more than one occasion, not to mention he's been forced to take a position on every political issue of concern to the U.S. This is often used against him, but it's probably to be expected as people change. However, it makes him hard to nail down in some respects. A more comprehensive detailing of his policies can be found here.
He seems to be generally sympathetic to military interests. He said of his foreign policy, if he were elected president:
I'd institute a policy that I call 'rogue state rollback,' I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically-elected governments.[7]
To many, that sounds like basically an endless war.
Both socially and fiscally, McCain fits in nicely with Republicans, with a few exceptions. He's anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and pro laissez faire capitalist economics. However, he believes illegal immigrants should be given a chance at U.S. citizenship and that humans are contributing to global warming, setting him apart from the fundamentalist Republicans.
McCain is a complex character and a good politician with the ability to reason and formulate opinions without the aid of party politics. It just so happens that most of his opinions are conservative.
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