By Michael Moffett

John McCain is one of my heroes.

Read Robert Timberg’s account of McCain’s Prisoner of War experience in “The Nightingales’ Song” and try not to be moved.

Like so many of my fellow veterans, I enthusiastically supported McCain’s 2000 presidential bid, which saw him win a decisive victory over George W. Bush in the New Hampshire Primary.

Senator McCain remains one of my heroes.

But I now believe former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the man who should serve as our next Commander-in-Chief.

The reasons are numerous, and they include the impressive analysis of the international situation that Romney articulated following his recent return from a trip to Asia.  I expect that as the months go by, many of my fellow veterans will join me in supporting a Romney candidacy in 2008.

No prospective president can come close to offering the diverse record of executive leadership that Romney can.

While McCain has been doing important work in congress for many years, Romney has run a successful billion dollar business, saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and served as the chief executive of one of the country’s most Democratic states.  His exemplary record of accomplishment is too lengthy to begin to mention here, but as Americans learn more and more about this extraordinary man they will increasingly like what they see.

There is no substitute for executive leadership experience – a background that one just can’t get in our national legislature, where McCain has but one of 535 votes.

While a senator can lead in different ways, it’s less clear than ever where McCain might lead us, based on so many statements and actions over recent years.

Take some of his sponsored legislation – like the McCain-Feingold bill.  This misplaced effort at campaign finance reform has split Americans and the Supreme Court, while expanding federal regulation and abridging First Amendment freedoms.

There are folks who place great faith in expanding government.

They’re called Democrats.

Our Republican standard bearer should be someone who remains true to our important principles of limited government while celebrating individual responsibility and personal liberty.

Mitt Romney appears to be such a person.

Romney’s challenge is to better inform Americans about who he is.  I expect that he will utterly reassure all concerned about any religious issues, as John F. Kennedy did in 1960.  His wonderful Reagan-esque communication skills should enable him to explain his positions on all issues, including any positions that may have evolved over time.   And most importantly, his true record of achievement needs to be made clear to Americans in the face of the inevitable obfuscation that marks our political process.

There’s plenty of time for this.  And when the dust settles next year, I believe that Americans – veterans and non-veterans alike – will embrace this remarkable man to be our next Commander-in-Chief.

John McCain will always remain a hero.

But Mitt Romney should be our next President.

A member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Michael Moffett was a Marine infantry officer during the Desert Storm ground campaign in 1991.  From 2001-02 he served on General Franks’ Operations Staff at Central Command.