FACTBOX-John McCain

* He was originally opposed to Bush's across-the-board tax cuts but now supports extending them and has proposed cutting the corporate tax rate and doubling the exemption for dependents to $7,000 (3,526 pounds) - (Reuters) - Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the Republican candidate for the November U.S. presidential election. Here are some facts about him:

* If elected, McCain, who turns 72 in August, would be the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency.

* From a celebrated Navy family, McCain is the son and grandson of four-star admirals and he followed in their footsteps by attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

* He was shot down during a combat mission over Vietnam in 1967. He spent 5-1/2 years in captivity, including two years in solitary confinement, and was subjected to frequent beatings and torture. In the Senate, he has been a critic of harsh interrogation techniques such as "waterboarding" or simulated drowning of terrorism suspects.

* McCain was seen as a maverick in his campaign for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination when he gave then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush a scare by winning the first contest in the state-by-state race -- New Hampshire -- by 18 percentage points. He eventually lost to Bush after a bitter campaign.

* McCain has supported Bush on the Iraq war even as many Americans are weary of the conflict and eager to get U.S. troops home. But he has criticized the way the war was conducted, saying the United States should never go to war without a comprehensive plan for success.

* First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, McCain won the first of four Senate terms in 1986.

* In Congress, McCain has been a pro-business conservative, free-market advocate and abortion foe but he has voted against the Republican majority on several high-profile bills. He has made election campaign finance reform a signature concern.

* He was originally opposed to Bush's across-the-board tax cuts but now supports extending them and has proposed cutting the corporate tax rate and doubling the exemption for dependents to $7,000 (3,526 pounds).

(Writing by Paul Grant, Deborah Charles and Patricia Zengerle)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

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