Yes: McCain for President

Slated on Backbone Radio, March 9 Listen every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver.. 1460 KZNT, Colorado Springs... and streaming live at 710knus.com.

"Stand up with me and fight. Fight for America. The contest begins tonight," said John McCain on Tuesday in Texas as he clinched the Republican nomination for President. I'll gladly stand beside him in the fight. The alternative of entrusting our country's security and liberty to an Obama or another Clinton in the White House for the next four years is simply unacceptable. I was in the fight with this American hero once before, when he was a naval aviator and I a naval submariner (undergoing nothing close to the hazards and hardships he did) in the Pacific during the 1960s, His father, Admiral McCain, was in fact my commander.

I am enthusiastic about Sen. McCain's proven qualifications for keeping our country safe, our judiciary in check, and our fiscal house in order. I've not hesitated, and will not hesitate while he runs and if he wins, from constructively criticizing Mac's policy lapses, even as I criticized those of Nixon from within his staff --and would have done the same (I like to think) for the lapses of Ike, TR, or Lincoln himself in an earlier day.

But his imperfections don't deter me from urging without reservation: McCain for President. We cannot afford -- repeat after me, cannot afford -- the high risk of electing a Democrat instead. My 2012 nightmare column spells out that risk. This week on our blog, Mark Hillman warned about it while Dave Crater was doubtful. I'm with Hillman and the Republican nominee.

We'll talk about all of it on Backbone Radio this Sunday, along with a survey of the dangerous world our next president will face, by foreign policy experts Frank Gaffney, Carolyn Leddy, and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross.

** Plus Bill Moloney, our regular contributor and former state education commissioner, on Gov. Ritter's dreamy illusions about school reform, and teacher Kris Enright on a new professional group outflanking the CEA union monopoly.

Don't let the best become the enemy of the good, wise men have counseled since ancient times. The ideal conservative candidate is not (and never was) on the menu for Americans this year. The battle-tested John McCain is. Let's go all out to get him elected.

Yours for the Republic, JOHN ANDREWS