John McCain

Then there is an issue on which McCain has broken from the mainstream of his party and on which the party would do well to rejoin him: immigration. As the Republican field indulged this campaign season in an orgy of ignorance on immigration, McCain stood his ground, sponsoring legislation that would provide a route to citizenship for the 11 million to 12 million immigrants here illegally. His rivals have argued for mass deportations and strong border fences. McCain too backs toughened enforcement, but he has defended the humanity of those at the center of this debate. "We are all God's children," he says with conviction. McCain equivocated alarmingly on this issue during the last Republican debate, saying he would not today support the immigration bill that he courageously championed last summer. He should return to his support for immigration reform, and Republicans should follow him.

Similarly, McCain has led his party in its halting effort to confront the reality of climate change. He introduced the Senate's first attempt to address the problem legislatively in 2003, and although that bill failed, McCain has supported cap-and-trade systems that could reduce greenhouse gases, and he has stayed that course despite criticism from fellow Republicans.

McCain is not the only Republican in this race, and not the only impressive one. Mitt Romney is a vigorous and articulate alternative, whose solid business background adds to his political resume. We appreciate his analytical skills as well as his distinguished record as governor of Massachusetts, where he pioneered healthcare reform and demonstrated leadership with his willingness to cross party lines for progress. But Romney has spent so much effort to convince Republicans he's one of them that he has called his most basic values into question. To cite a glaring example: He once supported abortion rights and now opposes them. Romney also refuses to renounce torture, a position that for us disqualifies him. Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, is a good-natured man with an admirable record as governor of Arkansas, but his Christian fundamentalism so infuses his secular views that he has drifted to the margins of the campaign and become increasingly irrelevant.

We do not agree with John McCain on every issue. But we admire his conviction and stand with him on those issues that matter most right now.