Abortion

McCain calls Roe v. Wade a "flawed decision" and wants it overturned in order to return the question of abortion rights to the states. He voted consistently against federal funding for abortion; he once voted against Medicaid funds for abortion even in cases of rape or incest. He voted to require parental consent for abortion and to criminalize anyone but a parent crossing state lines with a minor to help get an abortion. He supported a ban preventing women in the military from getting abortions with their own money at overseas military hospitals.

Climate

McCain has visited Alaska, Antarctica, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South America, Norway, and other parts of the Arctic region to learn about climate change, which he regards as a real and important issue. He supports market-based approaches for dealing with global warming and the development of ethanol as an alternative fuel source. He has voted against mandatory fuel efficiency standards for automakers, against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. And he supports developing nuclear energy.

Guns

McCain says gun control is a "proven failure" in fighting crime and that people who obey the law should not be forced to give up their Second Amendment rights because of criminals who ignore gun control laws. McCain voted against a ban on assault-style weapons and for shielding gun-makers and dealers from civil suits. He voted in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows, but in general he sides with the National Rifle Association in favor of gun rights. When the Supreme Court held arguments last month on Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban, McCain said it was "a landmark case for all Americans who believe, as I do, that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms."

Health

McCain wants to allow people to buy health insurance nationwide instead of limiting them to in-state companies, and permit people to buy insurance through any organization or association they choose as well as through their employers or directly from an insurance company. He proposes tax credits for families as an incentive to help them buy insurance. And he supports different methods of delivering care, including walk-in clinics in retail outlets across the country, and developing routes for cheaper generic versions of drugs to enter the U.S. market, including allowing for safe importation of drugs.

Immigration

McCain was a sponsor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and a similar bill in 2007 -- both defeated -- which included doubling the size of the border patrol; building more walls and deploying more high-tech surveillance on the southern border; creating a temporary worker visa program; cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants; and creating a path to citizenship (including penalties and fines) for those already living and working in the country. On the campaign trail he now says that hardening U.S. borders should take place before other efforts at changing immigration laws.

Iraq

McCain voted in 2002 to authorize the use of military force in Iraq and has also voted to approve on-budget spending for the war. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, he said, "The mission was necessary, achievable and noble." But he has also criticized the administration's handling of the war's aftermath. In the GOP primary debate at Reagan library in May, McCain said, "The war was terribly mismanaged and we now have to fix a lot of the mistakes that were made." He's a vocal supporter of the current "surge" strategy.

Marriage

McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman, and that questions about gay marriage and civil unions ought to be decided at the state level. McCain worked to ban gay marriage in Arizona, his home state. He also supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and he opposed legislation to protect gay people from job discrimination or hate crimes.

Mortgage, Housing Upheaval

McCain opposes aggressive intervention by the government to solve the mortgage crisis and the market upheaval it spawned, saying he prefers only limited intervention and letting market forces play out. In an April 10 speech, McCain proposed a plan to offer deserving people the chance to trade a burdensome mortgage for a manageable loan reflecting the market value of their home. He has also called on the Justice Department to set up a task force to investigate criminal wrongdoing in the mortgage lending and securities industry. If there were individuals or firms that defrauded innocent homeowners or forged loan application documents, then the punishments of the market are not enough, and they must answer for their conduct in a court of law, McCain said.

Taxes

McCain opposed Bush tax cuts, and voted against extending them in 2007 because they did not rein in spending. "We had a contingency called the Iraq war. And we had no restraint on spending," he said in the May 3, 2007, GOP debate. He voted to permanently repeal the estate tax in June 2006. He also said, "The alternative minimum tax is obviously eating Americans alive, and it's got to be repealed."