Much has been said about how little the American public knows about Barack Obama. He’s a new face, with only a few years of national political experience, and people just really aren’t sure what he’s all about.

On the other hand, almost nothing has been said about how well the country knows John McCain.

I’d like to put forth the idea that we know just as much about McCain than we do about Obama. This may seem strange, given that he’s been in the public eye for 40 years, and he has an extensive voting record that he can be judged by, but a closer examination reveals that we might not be getting the same John McCain that we hope for, and that can apply to both sides.

The only universal quality for the Senator that both conservatives and liberals respect is his service during Vietnam: we admire his courage in facing the tortures of Hanoi Hilton. In fact, whenever Obama addresses McCain, the first thing he says is how much he appreciates his sacrifices for the country.

But when you go beyond his military record, things get fuzzy. For a long time, McCain was considered to be a Maverick. He was derided by conservatives as being a traitor when he sided with the Democrats on legislation from immigration to campaign finance reform. He earned a great deal of admiration from progressives for his willingness to vote based on his conscience and judgment, not party affiliation.

And yet when you look at his overall voting record, he’s been one of the most consistently conservative voices in the Senate since he came into office. This has never been more apparent since he decided to run for President on the Republican platform. The Bush tax cuts he voted against twice because he found them personally immoral, he voted for this time around. When pressure came from all over the right wing, he changed his stance on immigration from amnesty and open borders to securing the border, maybe even building a fence.

Is this shrewd political maneuvering, or is McCain a sellout? Will he sell his principles to get a seat in the White House?

I am on the fence. If John McCain wins the election and returns to his Maverick persona, I will rejoice. But which side will we see? Does John McCain really hate war as much as he professes to, or will he rush into more wars, and continue Bush’s imperial nightmare? As President, will he finally outlaw torture in terror interrogations, or will he spout a line about defending the nation by any means necessary? Is he an honest straight-talker, or a slimy pol with an even slimier tongue? Is his judgment sound, or will his infamous temper get the best of him in moments of crisis? Is John McCain a tried and true small government conservative or an empire builder? These are questions that Republican voters need to ask themselves.

The world will be a better place with McCain at the helm of the free world, rather than Bush. But that may not be saying much, if McCain forsakes his independent roots and goes the way of the neocon.