Many of us who write on this site have been asked where "the pro-McCain, glowing revues of his policy ideas and plans for the future, why we are voting for McCain articles" are?

Well, allow to give the first ever official endorsement by Average American!

First off, Conservatives are a careful bunch; we rarely go for the fervor around a candidate like what has been seen on the left with the near Obamagasms that Democrats seem to experience whenever the Chosen One is mentioned or tele-prompted to speak.

McCain has long been something of a myth inside the GOP. We all know his voting record is better than 80% party line vote, yet he labels himself the Maverick. This was made most clear with his defiance of party leadership over the Bush Tax-Cuts that are now set to expire in 2010.  But in true Maverick style McCain has turned 180 degrees on the tax cuts seeing how they have stabilized this country in the aftermath of 9/11, the devastating hurricanes, and congresses inability to act concerning our lack of energy/security policy. And yes folks, they are one in the same.

Was McCain wrong to oppose the cuts; well yes and no. The principled McCain was right when he brought up the subject of paying for the cuts up front. Any tax cut will initially cause a stall in revenue brought into the coffers and this is well documented. However, the effects of cutting taxes, especially those capital gains taxes, always increase revenue over the long haul as shown through both the Kennedy and Reagan tax cuts. McCain's issue was more with congress and the President spending those increases ahead of them actually materializing.

Off budget military spending aside (aside for it was necessary for that money to be spent on a war effort that has kept us free from attack for 7 years and counting), McCain was absolutely correct in his fears that we would outspend our increases as history has showed us we would (again see Kennedy and Reagan spending post tax cut). This shows McCain has a tighter grip on the realities of Washington's willingness to spend then anyone else running for office.

His opponent is suggesting over a trillion dollars in new spending when the nation is having to deal with $4.00 dollar a gallon gasoline and rising food prices brought on for the most part by that candidates party not using its control or congress to provide the needed legislation to free up our domestic energy resources.

Then we one to the McCain seen seen as the insider. A political animal who will flip flop on issues to get a vote. You can't make that argument with McCain as easily as with his opponent. McCain, having a lifetime of experience in office has drawn on past history at times and changed his position as he has also drawn on mew information and intelligence to update his positions on a few issues. Again, look at the Bush Tax Cuts. McCain now supports making them permanent , no doubt with an eye to real fiscal spending control when he assumes office and hold Presidential Veto power over congressional spending.

I would point to McCain and the outsiders insider. Yes he knows Washington, inside and out. But yet this Maverick logo persists. It is because at the end of the day McCain is the only candidate who can back up his rhetoric with a solid record of achievement. McCain had pushed a good number of bills through congress, many of which include his name in the title showing he is not comfortable just being a signer to legislation he believes in. And it is this that has brought him the Maverick label more than anything else. From education reform to party and candidate funding to immigration, McCain has taken principled if not down right irritating stands on many an issue. But he has also acquiesced to public demands on those issues when the public has shown its ugly face towards the issue. Immigration is a prime example. McCain said that if that bill was placed before him he would sign it. Fair enough. He also knows that that bill will never again see the light of day as long as immigration reform includes any kind of amnesty. But at least he tells us the truth on the matter and doesn't claim that we are too stupid to understand the nuance of the legislation by telling us we cling to our guns and God when we get scared.

McCain is a leader of people with ideas to make their lives better, not a leader with all the answers we want to hear. He doesn't tell us he can fix it all, he tells us its up to us to fix it, but that he can help by getting some of the obstacles out of our way. Americans don't want Uncle Sam to take care of us, we want him to leave us alone; we are grown ups, we can handle the daily bread...

Let's talk Change... McCain is the only candidate open to discussing restructuring our Social Security Program and giving the people some control over their own money. Now that would be change! McCain is talking about getting America off of foreign oil on onto our own natural resources, including wind, tide, clean burning coal, oil and nuclear. Now that would be a huge change (one Obama doesn't want to push because he is hoping for $7-8 dollar a gallon gas)! McCain is talking about making sure the tax cuts become permanent and that the government doesn't take more from you to fund more ill thought out and ill executed social programs that only perpetuate the problems we have. That's change! And McCain is open talks with Iran and other rogue states but not with out preconditions. That would not be Change, that is just common sense and smart; something not indicated from the Democratic nominee!

But what really made me convinced that McCain was really an agent of the kind of Change Washington needs was in his pick of Sarah Palin as his Vice President. Maverick meets Maverick.

Palin is an exceptional choice for the ticket. First off she has every bit of the experience Democratic hopeful has and executive experience on top of that. She enjoys an 80-90% approval rating in Alaska, the highest of any sitting Governor in the country. She has impeccable Conservative credentials, something the Maverick at the top of the ticket is sometimes accused of lacking (but which is voting record denies).

A mother with a son actively serving in the US Armed Forces, it can not be said that she might be involved in sending others kids to war while hers is safe and sound. She has proved to be fiscally responsible with the Alaskan money and understands fully the enormous opportunity our energy resources offer us for independence from foreign oil and gas. Environmental organizations both love and despise her which tells me she is on the right track, and most importantly for those out there with an Exxon fetish, she has stood both with and against oil companies, never being afraid to stand on principal.

With the Democratic candidate much has been said about his status as an outsider. I guess that is why he picked the Insider's Insider, Joe Biden, as his running mate.

As the Outsider's Insider, McCain was smart in going after a smart, young, energetic woman who can be called the Outsider's Outsider for all intents and purposes who possesses more executive experience than the top of the Democratic ticket.

Yes folks, it can be said that McCain was not the rights first choice. But America has a long history of not always getting the leader we want but instead getting the leader we need. Only Lincoln could have preserved out nation. Only Roosevelt could have taken us to War with Germany and Japan in the fashion he did and mobilize this massive country to do the unthinkable. Only Truman could have delivered the final blow to Japan. Only Kennedy could have stood toe to toe with Kruschev on the edge of oblivion and pulled us back safely. Only Reagan could have taken the Soviets to the edge and watched them jump off by proving once and for all that Capitalism wins out over Central Control every time. And only Bush 43 could have guided our country through the maze of the post 9/11 terror while maintaining our composure as we have.

My Friends, only McCain can take us to the next step of the American experience. While we may not know where that next step will come from, it is historically accurate to suggest that America is a county that grows best when under pressure. We will have more challenges; we always do. And we will overcome them; we always do.

This is why I am fully endorsing John McCain for President of these United States. Principled Leadership for the 21st Century.

But what would .... (not this time). I know I'm right!