Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the only viable Republican candidate running for president who is not cut in the mold of President George Bush, who has surrounded himself with bad advisors, and the country has suffered for it.

McCain is not an extremist. Instead, he is middle-ground, and this makes him attractive as a national leader because he will approach both sides of an issue with an open mind. He has offered a hand of conciliation to develop national policies that are unifying instead of destructive. And, when taking criticism for those actions, he has the courage to stand his ground and articulately discuss the issues and his position, instead of flying into a rage.

McCain&8217;s character is impeccable. He has demonstrated that strong character by standing against torture of prisoners of war, although he was tortured unmercifully as

POW in Vietnam.

The other candidates considered have basic leadership qualities missing in their character, and so much of this election is about character.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has changed his opinion on major issues so much, that it would be dangerous for him to lead the country. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, is too extreme. His policies on immigration and his attack on Romney&8217;s religion raises questions of Huckabee&8217;s ability to bring people together as McCain does.

McCain is a conservative, but he has the strength of conviction and of wanting to take appropriate action. For those reasons, we endorse John McCain in the Republican primary on Tuesday.