Election 2008: John Edwards (D)

Foreign Policy: Expand NATO. Favors multilateralism. Lead world by hand, not fist. AIDS/Africa should be a priority. Keep U.S. forces under U.S. command in U.N. Favors sanctions on Iran.

Iraq: Voted for invasion – later said it was a mistake. Preemption unwise. Wrong strategy, not wrong war. Saddam Hussein wasn’t an imminent threat. Engage allies/U.N. in Iraq. Halliburton – bad. Engage NATO. Support troops.

War on Terror: Islam is not Terrorism. America needs its allies - international approach. Iraq is not the War on Terror.

Taxes: Opposed Bush tax cuts – rich pay less dollar for dollar. Reduce marriage penalty. Favors estate tax. Favors tax break for tuition. Close corporate tax loopholes. Favors tax cuts for middle class. Tax wealth, not work.

Social Security: No private accounts. No lock-box.

Trade: Favors free-trade with some, not others. Trade with China/Vietnam. Necessitate labor/environmental standards. Protect U.S. jobs.

Government: Pay down national debt. Publicly fund elections. Ban soft money & donations from lobbyists, special interests, unions, businesses. Poverty, education, health care, defense should be higher priorities.

Immigration: Immigrants earn citizenship. Filter terrorists from immigrants.

Homeland Security: Filter terrorists from immigrants. Use National Guard at home. Favors missile defense. Modernize military. Favors nuclear test ban. Improve intelligence & counter-terrorism capabilities.

Economy: Increase minimum wage. Pay down national debt. Regulate CEO pay. Favors unions. Restrict personal bankruptcy. Keep jobs in U.S. Help farmers, not the rich.

Education: Opposes vouchers. Opposes private tutors. Favors smaller classes, more teachers. Increase funding. Increase teacher pay. Improve access to college education.

Health Care: Every child should have adequate health care. Help poor, seniors, kids, not HMOs. Bush doesn’t care about health care for the poor. Favors prescription drugs in Medicare. Favors re-importation of prescription drugs.

Welfare: Working parents should get tax breaks and school assistance. Poverty is a moral issue. People with full time jobs should not have to live in poverty.

Abortion: Favors abortion. Favors partial-birth abortion.

Civil Rights: Every American should be equal under the law. Gun control OK for kids/felons. Gay marriage – let the states decide. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Pro- Affirmative Action. Favors death penalty.

Energy: Develop alternative energy sources. Opposes oil drilling in ANWR. Conserve energy. Increase fuel efficiency standards. Voted against funding for renewable energy.

Compare John Edwards' views with:

Rudy Giuliani
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Bill Richardson
Sam Brownback
Newt Gingrich
Joe Biden

Election 2008: John McCain (R)

Foreign Policy: Favors NATO. Don’t deal with Cuba. U.N. needs reform. Favors removal of rogue governments. China needs cautious encouragement. Europe needs more focus on defense.

Iraq: Finish the job in Iraq. Dramatically increase troop levels, don’t redeploy them. Increase funding. Iraq war is just, necessary, noble.

War on Terror: Good vs. Evil. More emphasis on counter-terrorism. Spend more on War on Terror (War on Terror does not equate to Iraq).

Taxes: Simplify taxes (flat tax rate). No charitable contribution deductions. Eliminate tax “loopholes”. Eliminate estate tax. Eliminate marriage penalty. No internet tax. Tax off-shore business.

Social Security: Apply budget surplus to Social Security. Lock Box. Favors private accounts for retirement.

Trade: Favors free trade. Favors free trade. Favors free trade.

Government: Reduce government spending. Balance the budget. Enforce limits on spending. Presidential line-item veto for pork. Campaign finance reform crucial. No soft money. Prohibit gifts from lobbyists…but not all lobbyists ($$$). Corporate welfare BAD. Free market GOOD. Favors term limits on congress. Small government is better government.

Immigration: Favors guest worker and path to citizenship programs. Give Social Security to illegal immigrants. No bilingual education. Opposes welfare for immigrants

Homeland Security: Favors Patriot Act. More emphasis on Intelligence. Favors Missile Defense. Opposes nuclear test ban. Military experience is needed in top levels of civilian leadership. Pork should be eliminated from national security.

Economy: Favors off-shore business. Favors limits on personal bankruptcy. Opposes unions.

Education: Favors charter schools and vouchers. No national testing standards - leave it to the states. Corporations over education ($$$). Favors private tutors for failing students. Favors tax-free education savings accounts.

Health Care: Children deserve health care. Limit but allow tax credits for health coverage. Favors re-importation of prescription drugs.

Welfare: Give HUD homes away. Federal aid for food stamps. Tax breaks for homeless. Overhaul welfare system. Jobs are key. Welfare responsibility should be shared between government and faith based groups.

Abortion: Opposes abortion except in the case of Rape or Incest. Favors alternative measures such as adoption

Civil Rights: Favors cell phone wiretapping. Hate crimes should not include sexual orientation. School prayer should be permitted. 50/50 on affirmative action. Favors death penalty. Opposes gay marriage (let the states decide). Supportive of Hispanic culture. Favors national sex-offender registry. Ban assault weapons.

Energy: Reduce greenhouse gasses. Opposes oil drilling in ANWR. Develop alternative sources of energy. Opposes renewable energy. Opposes ethanol. Opposes drastic reduction in oil consumption. Opposes Kyoto Protocol.

Compare John McCain's views with:

Rudy Giuliani
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
John Edwards
Mitt Romney
Bill Richardson
Sam Brownback
Newt Gingrich
Joe Biden