Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, the 1964 GOP nominee for President, was the epitome of conservative Republicanism in the mid to late 20th century. No one would say he was soft on the military in any form!
Goldwater was succeeded by Senator John McCain, who was later the 2008 GOP nominee for President. Seen historically as a moderate, he has recently become much more conservative, due to his 2010 Senate race.
But McCain’s Republican roots and conservatism are clearly quite different than Barry Goldwater, who certainly believed in smaller government, but also believed in personal freedom from government in social ways, as well as economic!
So therefore, in his later years, when abortion became a hot issue, and then even later, when gay rights became a controversy, Goldwater spoke up in favor of abortion rights and gays in the military. As he said about gays in the armed services, what really mattered was whether a soldier could shoot straight, not IF he was straight!
Unfortunately, John McCain is now becoming one of the leading opponents of ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, despite studies and surveys that show a vast majority of military personnel have no problem with the issue, and with the knowledge that most European countries, Canada, and Israel have gays in the military without any complication!
McCain’s opposition to abortion also separates him from his predecessor, the MR. CONSERVATIVE of the Republican party after the death of Senator Robert Taft of Ohio in the early 1950s!
So in retrospect, Barry Goldwater comes across as a more tolerant man on major social issues than John McCain, and that shows how far McCain has moved away from his former “maverick” status!
This is a sad commentary on John McCain, and will affect his reputation in the history of the United States Senate! 🙁