John McCain, born August 29, 1936 in the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone, Senator from Arizona. Often characterized as a Republican maverick in the Senate, he is a well-known political figure in the United States. His willingness to bipartisan compromise on judicial nominations and his strong support of campaign finance reform have drawn the ire of conservative groups, many of which have vowed to work against any McCain campaigns for the Republican nomination in 2008. However, he is a strong social conservative on many issues and economically falls more along the lines of traditional "fiscal conservatism." These factors, along with his commitment to the War on Terror and the Iraq War have boosted his popularity amongst conservatives since 2004, when he emphasized these traits while stumping for Republican candidates. Though, in 2006, some social conservatives were angered when McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment and because he did not campaign for Arizona's state marriage amendment in 2005, although he did endorse it. In 2000, he failed in his attempt to deny George W. Bush the Republican nomination: McCain continued his ultimately unsuccessful campaign long after the other Republican candidates had united behind Bush. McCain was quoted by Men's Journal magazine as saying, "Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid." On November 15th, 2006, McCain announced that he would form an exploratory committee.