As some of you know, I've always had a lukewarm response towards John McCain. He called himself a maverick but it was what he was a maverick about that irked me. His record showed him siding with liberals time and again. I didn't like his random left-turns and I could not support him in 2000.

Fast-forward to June 2008. John McCain is seeking the job and over the past eight years, his record had not improved. Among the many Republican candidates, there were others with far better conservative credentials than John McCain. Mit Romney and Fred Thompson came to mind- however they could not pull together the political clout to win the nomination, and John McCain had won.

This was a frustrating event and and despite my misgivings I grudgingly accepted him as the person for whom I would vote in November. John McCain wasn't conservative on many things but he did share some of my views.

Fast-forward to now. John McCain has now done two things to convince me of his conservative efficacy. His interview with Rick Warren was brilliant. John McCain was clear and concise with his answers and it showed to me that he was speaking from principle. It wasn't completely conservative but it was good enough for me. John McCain comes from a senatorial position which doesn't always require leadership experience, but this interview demonstrates that he knows how to be a leader, and can be a president whose decisions are made from a solid foundation of principle.

The second thing that John McCain has done was his choice of Sarah Palin for his Vice President. Governor Palin also speaks from principle. Her views are grounded in that same solid foundation of conservatism and ethics. This tells me that she too knows how to be a leader.

John McCain, with these two events, has demonstrated to me that he wants to represent me and conservatives everywhere. I will no longer feel reluctance while pulling that lever for John McCain, but will pull it proudly. I am endorsing John McCain for President of the United States.