Step one in my research; check the candidate’s Web site. Looking through the “Issues” drop-down list, I don’t see education for John McCain. Clicking “On the Issues” in the list, I find this link: “Excellence, Choice, and Competition in American Education.” Okay, good. Something to work with. However, that section only speaks to the K-12 public education system. He supports the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, which is towing the party line; plus, he voted for it. However, he doesn’t expand upon what supporting NCLB and its standards means. He states some general principles, but offers little in terms of actionable plans.

Step two: search news sources. USA Today outlines each candidate’s position on education. The periodical’s site says that McCain “generally backs greater Federal funding of Pell grants and government low-interest loans.” Well, then it sounds like he’s got an Obama-lite education plan. Over at CNN.com, they don’t even have “Education” listed, which illustrates my grumblings in an earlier post about the media ignoring education in the presidential election.

Step three: troll the Web. I checked out the “On the Issues” Web site and found more evidence that McCain advocates for K-12 school choice through vouchers. VoteSmart.org offers a list of John McCain’s voting history for education bills. It’s a mixed bag. In 1998, McCain voted for a “Higher Education Programs Authorization Extension” bill that lowered student loan interest rates and increased work-study aid to $1 billion for 1999. On the other hand, he voted against “Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants” in 2007. This bill targeted lower income students by expanding available Federal aid and extending some deferments for loan payment. However, the bill also has an increase in loan origination fees from .5% to 1%. That seems a little sneaky. Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered how strange bills can be, read it to the end. I don’t know how a stipulation about death sentences being illegal for pregnant women can be on an education bill, but such can be Congressional politics.

John McCain may be a hot topic after a win in Florida, but as far as the temperature gauge goes for his higher education ideas, McCain isn’t even luke warm.

Next Week: Hillary Clinton