Campaign 2000: McCain pushes public service, defense reform

Editor's Note: This is the latest in a series of occasional features in GovExec.com's Daily Briefing section on what the candidates for the presidency in 2000 are saying about the federal government and how they would manage it.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., committed to renew faith in government and pride in public service Monday in a speech launching his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I run for President of the United States because I want to return our government back to whom it belongs-the people-so that Americans can believe once again that public service is a summons to duty and not a lifetime of privilege," McCain said in his announcement speech.

Addressing supporters at the U.S. Naval Academy, his alma mater, McCain stressed the erosion of public trust in government. He said his life of public service, both in the military and as a three-term Senator, has prepared him for the challenge of restoring that trust.

"You don't have to wear a uniform or go to war to be a patriot. But you should, at some point in your life, seize an opportunity to put the country's interests before your own," McCain said in a speech to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

At the same time, McCain touched on some traditional Republican anti-government themes in his address. For example, he said he advocated "sending 90 percent of all federal education dollars back to community classrooms, rather than wasting it on Washington bureaucrats."

McCain also emphasized the theme of campaign finance reform, which has become one of the cornerstones of his campaign. He called the current campaign system "nothing more than a sophisticated influence-peddling scheme" that has resulted in a government "auctioned to the highest bidder."

McCain made national defense issues another cornerstone of the speech. He said his long history of military service, as the son and grandson of Navy admirals and a prisoner of war in Vietnam, qualified him for the position of commander-in-chief.

McCain has been a strong supporter of the military, but has often attacked what he believes is wasteful spending in the defense budget. "I believe that President Clinton has failed his first responsibility to the nation by weakening our defenses," McCain said Monday. "But he's not the only one to blame. Both parties in Congress have wasted scarce defense dollars on unneeded weapons systems and other pork projects while 12,000 enlisted personnel, proud young men and women, subsist on food stamps."

McCain said that as President he would focus on "training, missile defense, weapons modernization, and counter-terrorism." As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain has supported military restructuring in the form of base closures, privatization and contracting out of services. He also has been a long-time supporter of higher military pay.