John McCain, Politics

McCain Speaks About the Law

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In a National Law Journal piece published today, Senator John McCain wrote at length about the law.

McCain said he was committed to three priorities:

I want to concentrate on what would be three important priorities in a McCain administration: keeping the Department of Justice politically neutral, focusing law enforcement programs on addressing important issues of the day and appointing strict constructionist judges.

The Justice department line sounds like another clear break from the policies of George W. Bush, a distinction McCain has been making more and more in the closing days of the campaign:

My first objective would be to ensure that the department is, and remains, above the political fray. The department must function with integrity and effectiveness above all else.

More from McCain after the jump.


Although he didn’t list it as one of this top level priorities, McCain made sure to mention the word “economy,” since we all know that is the only thing people care about these days:

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I would also bolster law enforcement programs that will aid our struggling economy and address the ongoing threat of terrorism and other public safety concerns.

Oh yeah, “terrorism.” Remember when people cared about that, and war?

What kinds of law enforcement programs would aid the economy? Perhaps he is referring to the recent NYT piece which reported that the FBI was understaffed in their financial fraud units. McCain specifically references this later in his piece:

In particular, the FBI’s mortgage fraud task force is an important tool for keeping our markets clean. No matter who they are or where they hide, we must hold accountable those who would disregard the law, placing innocent citizens and investors in peril.

McCain goes on to talk about the importance of nominating conservative judges.

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Obama’s response … does not exist. Thus far Barack Obama has declined the National Law Journal’s invitation to discuss his views about the legal challenges facing the country.

Three priorities [Law.com]

F.B.I. Struggles to Handle Financial Fraud Cases [NYT]

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