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John McCain - Republican Presidential Candidate 2008

 

John McCain was born on August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone. McCain’s father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy. After graduating from high school in Virginia young John followed the family tradition at the military school in Annapolis, Maryland. There he was a rebel and his superiors didn’t always like what he was doing. Later on he became a navy pilot where he enjoyed shooting rockets and dropping off bombs.

In 1967 McCain set out for Vietnam where he took part in bombing missions over the northern part of the country. One day his plane was hit by a missile and McCain was forced to eject . He landed near Hanoi and had to spend the next five years as a prisoner of war.

After he was released in 1973 he had an uneven time back home. He divorced his first wife , which he had married in the 1960s and remarried in 1980. he gave up his Navy career and the couple moved to Arizona. In 1982 McCain was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican and three years later became Senator of the same state.

John McCain was re-elected to the Senate twice and became one of the most popular American politicians there. In 2000 he decided to become a candidate for the presidency but he lost the nomination to George Bush. In 2004 he won his fourth Senate term . In the 2008 presidential campaign he came in first in almost all of the parties primaries and became the Republican presidential nominee in August 2008.

 

 

 

 

The American President - Table of Contents

Presidential Election 2008 - Table of Contents

 

Online Exercises

 

 

Words

  • admiral = a very high officer in the navy
  • campaign =movement or fight to become president
  • career = the job that you have been trained for
  • couple = pair
  • divorce = to end your marriage
  • eject = here: you press a button and your seat separates from the plane and you can land in safety before the plane crashes
  • force = if you have to do something
  • graduate = to complete college or high school
  • missile = rocket
  • nomination = here: when the party suggests a person as the official candidate
  • politician =someone who works in politics or is a member of the government
  • primary = party members vote for candidates from January to June of the election year
  • re-elect = to elect again
  • release = to set free
  • set out for = to go to
  • superior = a person who is in command of you
  • term = period
  • uneven = rough, not good