For anybody unclear over where John McCain stands ideologically, he's offered a historical comparison.

The Arizona senator and presidential candidate told The New York Times he views himself as a Theodore Roosevelt-style Republican.

The remark was an apparent reference to the former president's environmentalism and tough foreign policy.

"I count myself as a conservative Republican, yet I view it to a large degree in the Theodore Roosevelt mold," McCain told the Times.

McCain gave a carefully worded spectrum of stances on social issues.

He told the Times he opposes allowing gay couples to adopt. He wouldn't take a position on whether only evolution should be taught in public schools, saying the matter is up to local school boards.

McCain also stressed that he is a Christian whose "faith has sustained me in very difficult times."

He said he attends church, though "not as often as I should."

And he admitted he's still learning how to use the Internet.

"I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself," he said. "I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.”

Click here to read about the McCain interview in The New York Times.