STATEMENT BY JOHN MCCAIN ON POVERTY

U.S. Senator John McCain today issued the following statement:

"Some people lament privately, others are brave enough to take their call for change to the public arena. Martin Luther King III has done his father's legacy proud this week by courageously insisting that our nation's next leader do something about the poverty that ensnares more than 36 million of our citizens. I will answer his call, and tell him and the American people today that I will make the eradication of poverty a top priority of the McCain Administration. A strong and vibrant America, one in which people can move up into the middle-class, put their kids through college, work hard and one day retire in dignity, is critical not only to our economic future but to the very security of our nation. As President, I will set aside the needs of the special interests to advance the interests of the American people, especially those 12 million children who deserve every opportunity to achieve the American Dream."