McCain's middle initial used in election

St Paul: Middle names have a long history in politics, and Republicans appear to have started trying to take advantage, by increasingly using John McCain's middle initial when referring to their presidential nominee.

"No leader in America," vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said at rallies over the weekend, "presents so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as John S. McCain."

She did the same when McCain announced her as his running mate last week in Ohio, and in her televised address Wednesday night, she referred to him as, "The next president of the United States, John S. McCain."

US Senator Joe Lieberman did the same thing on Tuesday night in his address at the Republican National Convention.

"Only one leader has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people," Lieberman said. "And that one is John S. McCain."

So why the sudden use of the middle initial?

It could be to add more gravitas. Perhaps it's a way to tie John S. McCain to Harry S Truman [whose parents couldn't agree on a middle name, but did come to terms on S, without the period], another political maverick.

It could also be a way to subtly remind voters of Barack Obama's middle name, Hussain.

Others have used middle initials to great effect. There's been FDR and LBJ. John F. Kennedy. Senator John F. Kerry, who idolised Kennedy, also used the middle initial [first, in a failed congressional bid for 1972, then resurrected for his presidential run]. George W. Bush, known simply as W, to differentiate himself from his father. Richard M. Nixon dropped his middle initial after winning the presidency perhaps for the better, since it stood for Milhous.

Nowhere on McCain's campaign website - even the campaign biography - does McCain use the middle initial.

In case you're wondering, the S stands for Sidney, which is a family name. The presidential nominee's full name is John Sidney McCain III. With his first wife, Carol Shepp McCain, he has a daughter named Sidney, and with his current wife, Cindy Lou Hensley McCain, he has a son named John "Jack" Sidney McCain IV.

And, it turns out, someone has registered the website www.johnsidneymccain.com to ridicule most of McCain's positions.