GUEST COLUMN: Campaign 2000: Four men, one destination

John McCain: Party animal gone straight A friend of my dad's went to the Naval Academy at the same time John McCain did. He explained to me that the Academy was like a wall -- you could never get anything in or out, including girls. So every night, McCain and my friend's father would trade shifts while the other left to nearby colleges or bars. They would each watch out for the guards, taking a tacit oath never to report the other. This continued for a year, in which time my friend's father -- as well as the rest of the Academy -- came to know John McCain as a party animal. His primary focus was not on academics or learning the intricacies of the Navy, but instead on making minor trouble. Soon after, McCain left. We all know the rest of his story. We know the tales from Hanoi and the tales of his involvement with Charles Keating. But we also know the lessons he learned from all of these events. We know his refusal to compromise on issues of principle and his refusal to make a decision based on what the polls say. We know his commitment to restore honor and integrity to the White House and to politics. I don't support everything for which McCain stands. I don't support his campaign finance plan and I have serious reservations with his pro-life stand. He has a strong pro-life voting record but has stated his refusal to make it a litmus test for judges, realizing the honest difference of opinion in regard to the question. But what I do support is his commitment to restore the White House to a place of dignity. I have a strong belief that McCain will change the dialogue and the way people look at the presidency. Many of us are considering what to do with the rest of our lives. Some consider banking, graduate school or engineering. Yet when we venture into these professions, most of us do not consider it our eventual responsibility to give back to the nation through politics. We regard politics as a lost means to further our nation, a tainted institution. John McCain will change this. He has gone through everything we have. He has learned from past mistakes and has genuinely integrated them into his policy decisions. He believes in moderate tax cuts because he understands that when we go to buy our first house, it should be that much more affordable for us, but when we go to retire, we should still have something to which to look forward. This was the most revealing thing when talking to my dad's friend. I asked him, after all he knew about McCain, why he still supported him. He said because he is the only candidate who has the experience and strength to give the American people an honest assessment of where our nation is and where we can take it. After eight years of someone who bases decisions on what the polls say, I think we deserve someone like John McCain -- a maverick who will not only make his own honest assessment of our nation but will inspire us to do the same.