John McCain

This year's Iowa Caucuses brought out unprecedented numbers of Republican (and Democrat voters). It was incredible on caucus night to be in a packed school cafeteria with my Republican neighbors. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. On caucus night, John McCain finished fourth behind Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.

Since then, John McCain has become our (presumptive) nominee. Now, some of those same Republicans, because their guy is not the nominee, have said that they are not excited about the race. Others have even said that they would not even vote this fall.

I just want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them. John McCain is our nominee and we need to rally behind him. He has a tremendous record of service and is a decent and honorable man. Sure, I have disagreements with some of his positions but they pale in comparison to the many core values on which we agree.

But for those paying attention, this week's events have made it crystal clear to me why we need John McCain in the Whitehouse. Hillary had her famous Red Phone commercial.

Today, with Russia attacking civilian targets in the neighboring republic of Georgia. With Georgia asking for US help (remember, Georgia almost became a NATO country). With Russian bombers attacking a key oil pipeline, I have to ask the same question that Hillary did:

... it's 3:00 am and your children are safely asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?

It's a no-brainer. I want John McCain answering that phone. It is time for us to put aside our differences. Tell your friends who voted for Huckabee, Romney or Thompson — we need John McCain. I will be doing the same.