Election Night HQ

Opening:
- McCain started off the call by stating that Americans are growing increasingly concerned with the US relationship with Iran, and thinks that this becomes an even greater concern in regards to Israel. Other concerns of the population are health care and immigration reform.

First Question- Foreign oil and energy independence
- said there are two issues to deal with… foreign oil and climate change. Ultimately, he thinks greenhouse gas should be top priority. He believes that serious progress needs to be made, using an international agreement that includes China and India.

Second Question- Would he use force when dealing with Iran
- McCain didn’t completely answer this question. He said that he supports the Bush plan, and that he thinks there are a lot of ways of putting pressure on them. He would not directly say that he supports a pre-emptive strike, which was the original question.

Third Question- Mismanagement of Medicare
- McCain focused on the negligence in regards to Walter Reed and veterans care. He said it was a disgraceful mishap, but is encouraged by the seemless transition report that had come out in the last few days.

Fourth Question- Asked to clarify his criticism of Rumsfeld
- He stood by his criticism of Rumsfeld. He is still angry that Rumsfeld refused to listen to advice. He is optimistic after his recent trip to Iraq, but wonders if we have time in public opinion. He drew comparisons with Vietnam and how in both cases there were divisions between the government and those on the ground.

Fifth Question- how would he deal with illegal immigration
- McCain got grilled on this one by the questioner. He said that there has been not enough done because people were cynical of border security, which comes from the growing lack of trust that people have in the government. He promised to secure the borders before coming up with a new plan, but is still in favor of temporary worker visas for agriculture.

Sixth Question- Social security reform
- He gave Bush credit for trying. He said the solution requires reaching out to Democrats to fix it, by sitting down and working it out. He didn’t give any specifics, but noted eight or nine different options.