Pet Peeves

[Nathan]

If it was Christmas would they be in session? I doubt it. Otherwise though, i feel your pain with this tragedy we are facing (thanks Bush)!!!

Everyone's off for Christmas. You do realize that our country has practically removed the religious...ness... from Christmas, right? That's different. I expect them to be off for Christmas.

That said, if they take off all eight days of Hanukkah, I will personally run a campaign against the lazy fuckers.

They should NOT be off for Rosh Hashana. It is NOT their place to take off for it. Our economy needs to be fixed, and now anti-semites can blame us Jews for it because Congress decided to take off for a Jewish holiday that doesn't even concern them

I can understand Lieberman or Feingold taking off, but not the entire fucking Congress. Especially not when we need them as badly as we do.

Post of the day.

[longdistancewinner]

2.

Look folks. I'm mad at Robert Plant, okay? I'm sorry if it bothers you. I'm sorry if I've hurt your precious feelings for calling Plant an asshole.

BUT I'M NOT GONNA LIE TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm mad at him and I'm gonna say it and if that makes me childish and immature and dickish, and even a hypocrite, then good!

And if you can't take it, this is my final word to you:

*sticks up middle finger*

Sit on it and rotate. When you get to the elbow, the ride's over.

I am who I am. I will never apologize for being who I am and if I pissed you off, well that's your problem. Take me for who I am or get the fuck out of my way.

I'm mad at Plant, okay? Get the fuck over it.

It's a double-edged sword, innit? You can't be mad at Robert without someone telling you that you're wrong to - he can do what he likes, his decision, you're a Plant-basher, etc.

Yet, if you're not disappointed, or what have you, with his choice, you're almost made to feel like you're a suck-up, not a real fan, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I'm neither here nor there.

I wouldn't want him to do something he clearly doesn't want to do, but I'm not too proud to say that I wasn't angry when I first heard the news. At myself more than anyone else. We all knew what the outcome would be, yet so many of us were led to believe by (dare I say it's name?) the Sun that it would be different. I guess, for some of us, it's our own fault when we started to get carried away (not directed at you, Nathan).

My pet peeve: A person on here who implied that, unless you're over-40 and first heard their record in 1969, you're not a real fan. Fuck off. Everyone has the right to like whatever band they so wish and it's insulting to be told that you're not a fan of something simply because you're born of a different time. Of the four people who live in my household, two are over 50, and I'm the bigger fan than they ever were - in fact they don't care much for them at all. Not everyone from the '60's/'70's liked Zeppelin.

Does that mean that Jimmy Page isn't a real fan of William Burges? He died in 1881, you know...

[Nathan]

New pet peeve:

People who call Obama out for flip-flopping.

Okay... yes... Obama flip-flops. But how can you ignore the fact that McCain flip-flops possibly more often?

http://tinyurl.com/4ywa55

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate...;entry_id=30811

http://thinkprogress.org/mccain-flip-flops/

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jh...le=drill-pickle

(To prove that I'm not coming at this one-sided, here's a Google search for Obama's flip-flops:)

http://tinyurl.com/3g4epr

If you're going to call one candidate out for flip-flopping, call both of them out for it, because they're both exceedingly guilty of it.

Welcome to politics: flip-flop central

[ally]

Being duped by people who pretend to be your friend. Disappointing as hell

[Roxie]

Boredom. Work. Being bored at work.

[~tangerine~]

Everyone's off for Christmas. You do realize that our country has practically removed the religious...ness... from Christmas, right? That's different. I expect them to be off for Christmas.

That said, if they take off all eight days of Hanukkah, I will personally run a campaign against the lazy fuckers.

They should NOT be off for Rosh Hashana. It is NOT their place to take off for it. Our economy needs to be fixed, and now anti-semites can blame us Jews for it because Congress decided to take off for a Jewish holiday that doesn't even concern them

I can understand Lieberman or Feingold taking off, but not the entire fucking Congress. Especially not when we need them as badly as we do.

Well if they didn't take off for the Jewish New Year (which i know is not a commercialized holiday like Christmas is) then the vote would have been missing many, so i don't see the problem. It's not like any of them are going to solve this mess. Yes we need someone badly, but not the majority of the ones making the decisions in Congress, i fear.

[~tangerine~]

New pet peeve:

People who call Obama out for flip-flopping.

Okay... yes... Obama flip-flops. But how can you ignore the fact that McCain flip-flops possibly more often?

http://tinyurl.com/4ywa55

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate...;entry_id=30811

http://thinkprogress.org/mccain-flip-flops/

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jh...le=drill-pickle

(To prove that I'm not coming at this one-sided, here's a Google search for Obama's flip-flops:)

http://tinyurl.com/3g4epr

If you're going to call one candidate out for flip-flopping, call both of them out for it, because they're both exceedingly guilty of it.

Welcome to politics: flip-flop central

Oh how true. McCain and Palin are both the biggest "liars", i mean flip-floppers...

some examples:

http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/?page=entire

John McCain -- 61 Flip-Flops and Counting

By Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report. Posted July 10, 2008.

McCain argues that flip-flops are an example of a political leader who can't be trusted -- so he might as well drop out of the race.

AdvertisementEditor's Note: Writer Steve Benen has graciously compiled a comprehensive tally of John McCain's flip-flops on issues ranging from national security to energy. The following is Benen's list of 61 clear 180-degree switches by McCain on the biggest issues of the day.

National Security Policy

1. McCain thought Bush's warrantless wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

2. McCain insisted that everyone, even "terrible killers," "the worst kind of scum of humanity," and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, "deserve to have some adjudication of their cases," even if that means "releasing some of them." McCain now believes the opposite.

3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."

4. In February, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

5. McCain favored closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.

6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with Predators, McCain criticized him for it. He's since come to the opposite conclusion.

Foreign Policy

7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it.

8. McCain supported moving "toward normalization of relations" with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

9. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

11. McCain is both for and against a "rogue state rollback" as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty's behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.

Military Policy

14. McCain recently claimed that he was the "greatest critic" of Rumsfeld's failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as "a mission accomplished." In March 2004, he said, "I'm confident we're on the right course." In December 2005, he said, "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course."

15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good idea and a bad idea.

16. McCain said before the war in Iraq, "We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was "probably going to be long and hard and tough."

17. McCain has repeatedly said it's a dangerous mistake to tell the "enemy" when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.

18. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.

Domestic Policy

19. McCain defended "privatizing" Social Security. Now he says he's against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

20. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn't.

21. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

22. He argued that the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party's policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

23. In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won't commit to supporting a regulation bill he's co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris' former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.

24. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

25. McCain's first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn't be "rewarded" for acting "irresponsibly." His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.

26. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn't be allowed.

27. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. before he supported it.

28. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he's pro-ethanol.

29. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

30. In 2005, McCain endorsed intelligent design creationism, a year later he said the opposite, and a few months after that, he was both for and against creationism at the same time.

Economic Policy

31. McCain was against Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.

32. John McCain initially argued that economics is not an area of expertise for him, saying, "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues; I still need to be educated," and "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." He now falsely denies ever having made these remarks and insists that he has a "very strong" understanding of economics.

33. McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal. And soon after that, McCain abandoned his second position and went back to his first.

34. McCain said in 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were "too tilted to the wealthy." By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and falsely argued that he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.

35. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

36. McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a "'read my lips' candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?" referring to George H.W. Bush's 1988 pledge. "No new taxes," McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, "I'm not making a 'read my lips' statement, in that I will not raise taxes."

37. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.

38. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.

Energy Policy

39. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling; now he's against it.

40. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

41. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to be voluntary.

42. McCain explained his belief that a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax would provide an immediate economic stimulus. Shortly thereafter, he argued the exact opposite.

43. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn't.

Immigration Policy

44. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants' kids who graduate from high school. Now he's against it.

45. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.

46. In April, McCain promised voters that he would secure the borders "before proceeding to other reform measures." Two months later, he abandoned his public pledge, pretended that he'd never made the promise in the first place, and vowed that a comprehensive immigration reform policy has always been, and would always be, his "top priority."

Judicial Policy and the Rule of Law

47. McCain said he would "not impose a litmus test on any nominee." He used to promise the opposite.

48. McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration's warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

49. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform

50. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn't.

51. In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving "feedback" on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.

52. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

Politics and Associations

53. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn't.

54. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn't.

55. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry's Democratic ticket in 2004.

56. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

57. McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as "an agent of intolerance" in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans "deserved" the 9/11 attacks.

58. In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending "dirty money" to help finance Bush's presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

59. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

60. McCain decided in 2000 that he didn't want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he "would taint the image of the 'Straight Talk Express.'" Kissinger is now the honorary co-chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

61. McCain believed powerful right-wing activist/lobbyist Grover Norquist was "corrupt, a shill for dictators, and (with just a dose of sarcasm) Jack Abramoff's gay lover." McCain now considers Norquist a key political ally.

And while I realize there are some who believe these constant flip-flops are irrelevant, I respectfully disagree.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

................................................................................

.................................................................................

.........

and i couldn't resist (there are so many examples to choose from:

http://thinkprogress.org/mccain-flip-flops/

John McCain’s 44 Flip-Flops

FOREIGN POLICY

* Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan

* Defense Spending

* Detention Of Detainees

* Divestment And Sanctions

* Donald Rumsfeld

* Henry Kissinger

* Illegal Wiretapping

* Law Of The Sea Convention

* Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq

* Negotiations With Hamas

* Negotiations With Syria

* Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

* Nuclear Reactors

* Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain

* Rogue State Rollback

* Torture

* 21st Century GI Bill

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

* Ethanol

* Everglades Restoration

* Offshore Drilling

ETHICS

* Criticizing The Media

* Katrina Investigations

* Lobbyists

* The Wyly Brothers

ECONOMY

* AIG Bailout

* Americans Live Better Under Bush

* Balancing The Budget

* Bush Tax Cuts

* Earmarks For Arizona

* Fairness Of The Estate Tax

* Job Losses In Michigan

* Social Security Privatization

* Tobacco Industry Regulations

* Windfall Profits Tax

IMMIGRATION

* The Dream Act

* Comprehensive Immigration Reform

RADICAL RIGHT

* The Confederate Flag

* Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right

* The NRA

* Teaching Intelligent Design

CIVIL RIGHTS

* Gay Marriage Amendment

HEALTH CARE

* Abortion Exceptions

* Repealing Roe v. Wade

* Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

Comment on this document here.

Social Security Privatization

McCain Flips:

In March 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that in an interview McCain said he “still backs a system of private retirement accounts that President Bush pushed unsuccessfully.” The Journal also noted that “a centerpiece of a McCain presidential bid in 2000 was a plan to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes to fund private accounts.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/2008]

McCain Flops:

At a town hall meeting in Pemberton, NJ on June 13, 2008, McCain was asked about privatization and replied that “I am not for quote ‘privatization of Social Security.’ I never have been, never will be. That is a great buzzword for an attack.” However, he then added that “workers should have the right to put their own taxes, their own money into an account,” which is still privatization. [Nashua Telegraph, 6/13/08]

Detention Of Detainees

McCain Flips:

In 2003, McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham wrote a letter to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld urging him to resolve the issue of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The letter said that “a serious process must be established in the very near term either to formally treat and process the detainees as war criminals or to return them to their countries for appropriate judicial action.” In 2005, he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press that “I know that some of these guys are terrible, terrible killers and the worst kind of scum of humanity. But, one, they deserve to have some adjudication of their cases.” [Meet the Press, 6/19/05]

McCain Flops:

In 2008 the Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo are required to receive habeas corpus rights. McCain called the Court’s ruling “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.” “Senator Graham, and Senator Lieberman, and I…made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, these are people who are not citizens. They do not and never have been given the rights that citizens of this country have,” he said. [Newark Star-Ledger, 6/14/08]

Offshore Drilling

McCain Flips:

In May 2008, McCain said “with those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels,” when asked about offshore drilling. [Huffington Post, 6/18/08]

McCain Flops:

Three weeks later, McCain announced that “there are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratoria.” [Washington Post, 6/17/08]

Criticizing The Media

McCain Flips:

In an interview with Newsweek, McCain denied that he ever said “the media often overlooked how compassionately [sen. Hillary Clinton] spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans.” McCain said in the interview that he “did not [say that] — that was in prepared remarks and I did not [say it]. I’m not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage.” [Newsweek, 6/7/08]

McCain Flops:

In a speech delivered on June 3, 2008, McCain did, in fact, deliver the line. [The Denver Post, 6/4/08]

21st Century GI Bill

McCain Flips:

McCain initially refused to co-sponsor Sen. Jim Webb’s 21st Century GI Bill of Rights, because of concerns that it did not have “incentives for people to stay in the military.” Instead of joining the other 56 co-sponsors and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America in pushing through Webb’s bill, McCain drafted his own bill which was “more focused on career officers, not the entire volunteer military force.” [The Hill, 4/22/08]

McCain Flops:

After a clause was added allowing service members to transfer their benefits to their family members, McCain supported Webb’s GI Bill. “[Transferral of benefits] has always been my primary concern with respect to the Webb bill, and it is essential that we continue to act decisively to encourage military service and ensure the well being of our All Volunteer Force,” McCain said in a statement. [ABC News, 6/19/08]

Illegal Wiretapping

McCain Flips:

In an interview with the Boston Globe in December 2007, McCain was asked if, as President, he would ever authorize illegal wiretapping. “I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “I don’t think the president has the right to disobey any law.” [boston Globe, 12/20/07]

McCain Flops:

The New York Times reported that a letter from top McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that McCain believes that the Constitution gave President Bush the authority to wiretap Americans “without warrants.” The letter says that “neither the Administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions that most people, except for the ACLU and the trial lawyers, understand were Constitutional and appropriate in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.” [New York Times, 6/6/08]

Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

McCain Flips:

McCain was asked whether he supports taxpayer funding for contraception in Africa, with the goal of preventing the spread of AIDS. McCain replied that he would rather fund abstinence education, but would provide contraception where abstinence “was not being followed.” [salon, 4/11/08]

McCain Flops:

Moments later, McCain said “Let me think about it a little bit … I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money … I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out … I’m sure I have taken a position on it in the past … I have to find out my position on it … I am sure I am opposed to government funding. I am sure I support the president’s policy on it.” He then said that “I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it in the past. I have to find out what my position was,” and asked an aide “Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception?” [salon, 4/11/08]

Abortion Exceptions

McCain Flips:

While campaigning for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, McCain chastised George Bush for adhering to the Republican “pro-life plank,” which includes no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. At that time, McCain said that the plank should be changed. In 2007, McCain told ABC news that he still wanted to see a change in the Republican platform. [Washington Post, 1/31/00 & ABC News’ Political Radar, 4/16/07]

McCain Flops:

Since gaining the Republican presidential nomination, McCain has not changed the party’s abortion plank, and neither does his campaign website mention the abortion exceptions that he used to support. [CNS, 8/29/08]

Fairness Of The Estate Tax

McCain Flips:

In a June 2006 speech on the Senate floor, McCain expressed his belief in “the essential morality of the estate tax,” and explained that he has “consistently voted against repealing this tax because of the impact it would have on the deficit, as well as the possible chilling affect it could have on charitable giving in this country.” [Huffington Post, 6/10/08]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, McCain delivered a speech before the National Federation of Independent Business in Washington in which he called the tax “one of the most unfair tax laws on the books.” [CNN Money, 6/10/08]

Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain

McCain Flips:

In March 2007, McCain told the Utah Deseret News that he is “for Yucca Mountain. I’m for storage facilities.” In May 2008, McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin told Reuters that “the political opposition to the Yucca Mountain storage facility is harmful to the U.S. interest and the facility should be completed, opened and utilized.” [Deseret News, 3/3/07 & Reuters 5/6/08]

McCain Flops:

In a speech in Reno, NV, McCain announced that he would seek to establish an international repository for spent nuclear fuel that would “make it unnecessary to open the proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/27/08]

Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain said in an interview on CNN’s Late Edition that he is “not in favor of sticking my finger in the eye of Fidel Castro. In fact, I would favor a road map towards normalization of relations such as we presented to the Vietnamese and led to a normalization of relations between our two countries.” [CNN Late Edition w/ Wolf Blitzer, 4/9/00]

McCain Flops:

On the campaign trail against Barack Obama, McCain told Cuban-Americans in Florida “that he would maintain the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba if he is elected president.” [Wall Street Journal, 5/21/08]

Defense Spending

McCain Flips:

Writing in Foreign Affairs in 2007, McCain explained that to promote national security the U.S. can “afford to spend more on national defense, which currently consumes less than four cents of every dollar that our economy generates — far less than what we spent during the Cold War.” [Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, Forbes noted that “McCain’s top economic adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, blithely supposes that cuts in defense spending could make up for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and the subsequent shrinkage in federal revenues.” [Forbes, 6/9/08]

Everglades Restoration

McCain Flips:

McCain explained in June 2008 that he is “in favor of doing whatever’s necessary to save the Everglades,” which he called “one of America’s greatest natural treasures.” [Herald Tribune, 6/5/08 & Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:

As the Miami Herald reported, McCain voted against a 2007 bill that would provide 2 billion to Everglade restoration. He also “did not participate in the landmark debate over the state-federal partnership to preserve the Everglades in 2000,” and was “out of town” for the subsequent 85-1 vote in the Senate. [Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

Katrina Investigations

McCain Flips:

At a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge on June 3, 2008, McCain said regarding government failure in the aftermath of Katrina that he has “supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy.” [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:

In September 2005, McCain joined conservatives in voting against “establishing a commission to investigate the levee failures” that occurred during hurricane Katrina. In 2006, McCain also opposed a commission to study the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. [Los Angeles Times, 6/25/08]

Torture

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain pushed President Bush to sign a bill that would, among other provisions, prohibit “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” of anyone in U.S. government custody. McCain authored the torture ban himself. “We’ve sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists,” McCain said. McCain was also against waterboarding, saying during presidential primary campaigning “all I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is being used against Buddhist monks today…It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.” [MSNBC, 12/15/05 & New York Times, 10/26/07]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain voted against the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding. [New York Times, 2/17/08]

Bush Tax Cuts

McCain Flips:

In 2001 and 2003 McCain opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, saying on the Senate floor that “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief.” [bloomberg, 6/6/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, McCain voted to extend the Bush tax cuts, in what the Washington Times called a “sharp departure from his anti-tax-cut posture.” In February 2008, McCain went even further, and called for the tax cuts to be made permanent. “Well, I think the worst thing we can do right now, Chris, is — we’ve got some shaky economic times — is to increase people’s taxes,” he said. “And I think that what we need is more tax cuts. We need to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.” [Washington Times, 2/27/06 & Fox News Sunday 2/3/08]

Ethanol

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 primaries, McCain said during a debate that “ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer.” Three years later, he opined that “ethanol is a product that would not exist if Congress didn’t create an artificial market for it. No one would be willing to buy it.” [MSNBC debate, 12/14/99 & Fortune 10/31/06]

McCain Flops:

In an August 2006 speech in Grinnell, Iowa, McCain said “I support ethanol, and I think it is a vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects.” [Fortune 8/15/06]

Job Losses In Michigan

McCain Flips:

In a January 2008 speech in Grand Rapids, McCain said “I’ve got to give you some straight talk: Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back. They are not. And I am sorry to tell you that.”[boston Globe, 1/10/08]

McCain Flops:

Six months later, Bloomberg news reported that McCain “is singing a different tune, striking a populist pose and saying ‘new jobs are coming’” to Michigan. [bloomberg, 6/5/08]

Windfall Profits Tax

McCain Flips:

In a May 5, 2008 speech in North Carolina, McCain said that “I don’t like obscene profits being made anywhere–and I’d be glad to look not just at the windfall profits tax.” [CNN, 5/8/08]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, McCain criticized Sen. Obama for supporting a windfall profits tax. “If the plan sounds familiar, it’s because that was President Jimmy Carter’s big idea, too, and a lot of good it did us,’’ McCain said, adding that such a tax would hinder domestic exploration. [New York Times, 6/17/08]

Balancing The Budget

McCain Flips:

Fortune reported in February that McCain “pledges to balance the budget by 2012, not by increasing taxes, but by vetoing all pork barrel spending, and curbing outlays for Social Security and Medicare.” [Fortune, 2/19/08]

McCain Flops:

The same day, it was reported that McCain’s economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin said “McCain’s overall goal is to balance the budget by the end of his second term,” or 2017. [Robert Samuelson, 2/19/08]

McCain Flips:

Two months later, Holtz-Eakin said at a symposium sponsored by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget that “I would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction,” adding that “if the war and the personal and corporate tax cuts that Mr. McCain advocated added to the federal deficit and debt, so be it.” [New York Times, 4/14/08]

McCain Flops:

Finally, in June, the McCain campaign came back to its original pledge, with Holtz-Eakin saying that McCain’s economic plan, “when appropriately phased in, as it has always been intended to be, will bring the budget to balance by the end of his first term.” [bloomberg, 6/6/08]

Divestment And Sanctions

McCain Flips:

During a June 2, 2008 speech before the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), McCain said “years ago, the moral clarity and conviction of civilized nations came together in a divestment campaign against South Africa, helping to rid that nation of the evil of apartheid. In our day, we must use that same power and moral conviction against the regime in Iran, and help to safeguard the people of Israel and the peace of the world.” [6/2/08]

McCain Flops:

In 1985 and 1986, McCain voted against sanctions and United States divestment from the apartheid regime in South Africa six times. [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

Negotiations With Hamas

McCain Flips:

During an interview in 2006 with Sky News’ James Rubin (now of the Washington Post), McCain was asked “Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?” McCain answered that “they’re the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, but it’s a new reality in the Middle East.” [Washington Post, 5/16/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

Negotiations With Syria

McCain Flips:

In 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was heavily criticized for agreeing to visit Syria. McCain defended Powell, saying that “Colin Powell is going to look [President] Bashar Assad in the eye and say, look, you know. You better clean up your act here. It’s a new day in the Middle East. And I think it’s entirely appropriate to do that,” despite his admission that “I think they’re–they’re sponsoring and harboring terrorists.” [Hardball, 4/23/03 & Today Show, 4/18/03]

McCain Flops:

Yet again, in 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

The NRA

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain said on CNN that “the NRA is entitled to their advocacy. I don’t think they help the Republican Party at all, and I don’t think they should in any way play a major role in the Republican Party’s policy making.” He was also labeled “one of the premier flag-carriers for enemies of the Second Amendment” by the NRA. [CNN, 5/12/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain spoke before the NRA’s National Convention, and said that “President Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would put the rights of ‘law-abiding’ gun owners at risk,” and announced that “I look forward to receiving [the NRA’s] endorsement.” [New York Times, 5/17/08 & Wall Street Journal, 5/16/08]

Tobacco Industry Regulations

McCain Flips:

In 1998, McCain pushed hard to pass a bill regulating the tobacco industry, saying “it is illegal for children to purchase tobacco in every state in the country. And in every state … tobacco companies have invested enormous sums of money and time to encourage widespread lawbreaking. Now is the time to put an end to it.” Among other provisions, the bill would have raised taxes on cigarettes by $1.10. McCain also told PBS that he would “never” give up trying to regulate the tobacco industry. [CNN’s All Politics, 5/18/98 & PBS Newshour, 4/21/98]

McCain Flops:

In August 2007, McCain voted against a bill that raised tobacco taxes by 61 cents in order to pay for an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Then, McCain agreed to cosponsor a bill allowing the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry, but said that he “won’t commit to voting for it until he sees the final legislation.” [boston Globe, 3/26/08]

Lobbyists

McCain Flips:

In 1996 and 1997, McCain attempted to push through Congress a bill that would “ban a candidate or a candidate’s authorized committee from paying registered lobbyists.” “Registered lobbyists who work for campaigns as fundraisers clearly represent a conflict of interest,” he said. “When a campaign employs an individual who also lobbies that Member, the perception of undue and unfair influence is raised.” [Huffington Post, 5/20/08]

McCain Flops:

While running for President, McCain has had 159 lobbyists campaign or raise money for him. [Progressive Accountability]

Rogue State Rollback

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain proposed an aggressive foreign policy platform called “rogue state rollback” to deal with countries like Iraq, Libya, North Korea. “I’d institute a policy that I call ‘rogue state rollback,’” he said. “I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments.” [CNN’s Larry King Live, 2/15/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain attempted to soften the policy. “I wasn’t saying that we should go around and declare war,” he said. “I was saying that we nations of like values and principles and belief in democracy and freedom should make efforts to modify the behavior of other nations.” [ABC News, 4/15/08]

Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain was asked about a long term U.S. troop presence in Iraq. “I not only think we could get along without it, but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” he replied. “And I don‘t pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.” [Hardball, 2/1/05]

McCain Flops:

At a town hall meeting in NH in January 2008, McCain said that it would be “fine” to keep troops in Iraq for a “hundred” years. “Make it a hundred. We’ve been in South Korea … we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me.” [Mother Jones Blog, 1/3/08]

Americans Live Better Under Bush

McCain Flips:

On April 17, 2008, McCain appeared on Bloomberg TV and faced the question “if Americans were asked, are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago, what answer would they give?” He replied that “I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, you could make an argument that there’s been great progress economically over that period of time. But that’s no comfort.” [bloomberg TV, 4/17/08]

Mccain Flops:

The next day, McCain again appeared on Bloomberg TV, and this time said unequivocally that “Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago.” [bloomberg TV, 4/18/08]

Earmarks For Arizona

McCain Flips:

In a Fox News Presidential Forum, McCain claimed that “in 24 years as a member of Congress, I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my state.” [Fox News, 1/5/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, McCain funneled $10 million towards the University of Arizona for an academic center. In 2003, he also sent $14.3 million from a defense appropriations bill to Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base. [New York Times, 2/18/06 & Roll Call 11/6/03]

Law Of The Sea Convention

McCain Flips:

According to the Washington Times, “Mr. McCain’s support for the sea treaty stretched back to the 1990s, when he signed a letter with three other senators urging its passage, and continued through 2003, when he was scheduled to testify on its behalf before a Senate committee.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

McCain Flops:

In October 2007, McCain said of the treaty that “I would probably vote against it in its present form.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

The Dream Act

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain was a co-sponsor of S. 774, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) which would have provided high-achieving high school students who are long-term illegal immigrants and who wish to serve in the armed forces or attend college the ability to gain conditional legal status. [s. 774]

McCain Flops:

In 2007, McCain skipped a vote on the DREAM Act, and said that “he would have opposed it on the Senate floor last week if he had stuck around for the vote.” [Huffington Post, 10/24/07 & Washington Times, 10/31/07]

Repealing Roe v. Wade

McCain Flips:

In 1999, McCain told the San Fransisco Chronicle that “certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” [Washington Post, 8/24/99]

McCain Flops:

McCain’s campaign website now calls Roe v. Wade “a flawed decision that must be overturned.” [site]

Gay Marriage Amendment

McCain Flips:

In 2004, McCain broke with conservative ranks and opposed the federal ban on gay marriage, saying “the constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans. It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.” [CNN, 7/14/04]

McCain Flops:

Two years later, ABC News reported that McCain was cozying up Jerry Falwell, and that McCain “reconfirmed” to Falwell that he would support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman if a federal court were to strike down state constitutional bans on gay marriage. [ABC News, 3/28/06]

The Confederate Flag

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 Presidential Primaries, McCain was asked about the Confederate flag and replied that “personally, I see the flag as a symbol of heritage.” [1/12/00]

McCain Flops:

McCain then called for the flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse, telling South Carolina, “I believe the flag should be removed from your Capitol, and I am encouraged that fair-minded people on both sides of the issue are working hard to define an honorable compromise.” He also admitted that his previous view was political pandering. “I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles,” he said. [New York Times, 4/20/00]

Henry Kissinger

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain professed friendship with Kissinger, but McCain’s “handlers opted not to have the two appear publicly together, fearing the legendary obfuscator would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” [New York Magazine, 11/26/06]

McCain Flops:

Kissinger is now an honorary co-chair for McCain’s presidential campaign in New York. [The Hotline, 12/19/06]

Nuclear Reactors

McCain Flips:

The Los Angeles Times reported that “earlier in his congressional career, McCain was a consistent opponent of subsidies for nuclear power, voting five times in the 1990s against taxpayer aid for research on new-generation nuclear reactors. As recently as 2003, McCain opposed federal loan guarantees to help the nuclear industry finance new plants.” [Los Angeles Times, 7/1/08]

McCain Flops:

As a campaign policy pitch in 2008, McCain set a goal of building 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030, which would be aided by $3.7 billion in subsidies to the nuclear industry. [MSNBC, 6/18/08]

Teaching Intelligent Design

McCain Flips:

In a 2005 interview with the Arizona Star, McCain was for the teaching of intelligent design. “I think that there has to be all points of view presented,” he said. “I think there’s nothing wrong with teaching different schools of thought.” When asked specifically if it belonged in a science classroom, he replied, “there’s enough scientists that believe it does. I’m not a scientist. This is something that I think all points of view should be presented.” [Arizona Star, 8/28/05]

McCain Flops:

One year later, McCain decided that intelligent design was actually inappropriate for a science classroom. “I happen to believe in evolution,” he said. “I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not.” However, that didn’t stop him from being the keynote speaker at a function for The Discovery Institute, the most prominent creationism advocacy group in the country. [The Aspen Times, 6/2/06, & Discovery Institute, 2/23/07]

Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan

McCain Flips:

During his victory speech following the Wisconsin primary, McCain claimed that by electing Sen. Obama “we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [uSA Today, 2/21/08]

McCain Flops:

First, Obama actually said that “if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.” Then, President Bush took this exact course of action, unilaterally calling for a strike against terrorist cells in Pakistani territory. McCain has not commented on Bush “bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [Media Matters, 2/20/08 & Washington Post, 2/19/08]

The Wyly Brothers

McCain Flips:

When the Wyly brothers produced attack ads against McCain and in favor of George Bush in 2000, McCain asked “Are we going to allow two cronies of George W. Bush to hijack this election? Tell them to keep their dirty money in the state of Texas, my friends. Don’t spread it all over New England and America.” [ABC News, 4/23/06]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, Sam Wyly and his wife Cheryl gave McCain’s political action committee $10,000, and contributions from the two brothers eventually amounted to $20,000. McCain returned the money only when he “learned that the Wylys were under federal investigation for alleged tax evasion.” [The Hotline, 5/24/06]

Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 Presidential primaries, McCain referred to Falwell and other Christian right leaders as “agents of intolerance.” [CNN, 2/28/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2006 McCain delivered the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty University. Falwell “rolled out the red carpet for his old adversary, assembling about 150 church leaders from around the country for a Friday night reception and later hosting a small, private dinner for the senator.” [Washington Post, 5/14/06]

Donald Rumsfeld

McCain Flips:

In 2004, McCain told Fox News “I believe [Rumsfeld]’s done a fine job … He’s an honorable man.” [Fox News, 5/12/04]

McCain Flops:

During a primary debate in 2008, McCain claimed “I’m the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go.” [Republican Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

McCain Flips:

In June 2008, McCain said of his failed 2006 attempt at immigration reform, “I haven’t won on every issue. I didn’t win on immigration reform, but I’ll go back at it. And I’m glad I did it.” He has also called immigration reform a “top priority.” [Las Vesgas Sun, 6/26/08, New York Times, 5/22/08]

McCain Flops:

In a January 30 primary debate, McCain said that he would not vote for his own bill today, “because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first.” [1/30/08]

AIG Bailout

McCain Flips:

During an interview on NBC’s Today Show, McCain said “No, I do not believe that the American taxpayer should be on the hook for AIG and I’m glad that the Secretary Paulson has apparently taken the same line.” [NBC, 9/16/08]

McCain Flops:

The next day on ABC, McCain said “I didn’t want to do that. And I don’t think anybody I know wanted to do that. But there are literally millions of people whose retirement, whose investment, whose insurance were at risk here. They were going to have their lives destroyed because of the greed and excess and corruption.” [ABC, 9/17/08]

[Lilith]

Really, REALLY long posts!

(Just kidding ya!)

[Olipticle]

When i brake a guitar String... more so the small E string... NOES!!

[kirchzep27]

the phrase "addiction to oil"

oil is like food and water to the system.

[alucard]

the phrase "addiction to oil"

oil is like food and water to the system.

Perhaps we should re-phrase that crude saying to,

"nourishment from oil"

But we need to change our diet.

[L 7]

The flea and mosquito infestation in southern Louisiana this year. Like a Biblical plague.

Walk outside and you will loose a pint of blood to these parasites.

[Mercedes]

Too much work and no play.

[kirchzep27]

When politicians mention -joe sixpack...f-that when is the gov't gonna do something for joe 12pack.

[JukeboxJim]

I'm usually not much of a stickler for neighbour noise, but when I'm on the computer, with my headphones on, and I can still hear your movie very clearly, guess what? It's too fucking loud.

[Dzldoc]

Oh how true. McCain and Palin are both the biggest "liars", i mean flip-floppers...

some examples:

http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/?page=entire

John McCain -- 61 Flip-Flops and Counting

By Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report. Posted July 10, 2008.

McCain argues that flip-flops are an example of a political leader who can't be trusted -- so he might as well drop out of the race.

AdvertisementEditor's Note: Writer Steve Benen has graciously compiled a comprehensive tally of John McCain's flip-flops on issues ranging from national security to energy. The following is Benen's list of 61 clear 180-degree switches by McCain on the biggest issues of the day.

National Security Policy

1. McCain thought Bush's warrantless wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

2. McCain insisted that everyone, even "terrible killers," "the worst kind of scum of humanity," and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, "deserve to have some adjudication of their cases," even if that means "releasing some of them." McCain now believes the opposite.

3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."

4. In February, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

5. McCain favored closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.

6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with Predators, McCain criticized him for it. He's since come to the opposite conclusion.

Foreign Policy

7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it.

8. McCain supported moving "toward normalization of relations" with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

9. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

11. McCain is both for and against a "rogue state rollback" as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty's behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.

Military Policy

14. McCain recently claimed that he was the "greatest critic" of Rumsfeld's failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as "a mission accomplished." In March 2004, he said, "I'm confident we're on the right course." In December 2005, he said, "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course."

15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good idea and a bad idea.

16. McCain said before the war in Iraq, "We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was "probably going to be long and hard and tough."

17. McCain has repeatedly said it's a dangerous mistake to tell the "enemy" when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.

18. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.

Domestic Policy

19. McCain defended "privatizing" Social Security. Now he says he's against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

20. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn't.

21. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

22. He argued that the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party's policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

23. In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won't commit to supporting a regulation bill he's co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris' former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.

24. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

25. McCain's first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn't be "rewarded" for acting "irresponsibly." His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.

26. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn't be allowed.

27. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. before he supported it.

28. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he's pro-ethanol.

29. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

30. In 2005, McCain endorsed intelligent design creationism, a year later he said the opposite, and a few months after that, he was both for and against creationism at the same time.

Economic Policy

31. McCain was against Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.

32. John McCain initially argued that economics is not an area of expertise for him, saying, "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues; I still need to be educated," and "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." He now falsely denies ever having made these remarks and insists that he has a "very strong" understanding of economics.

33. McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal. And soon after that, McCain abandoned his second position and went back to his first.

34. McCain said in 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were "too tilted to the wealthy." By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and falsely argued that he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.

35. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

36. McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a "'read my lips' candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?" referring to George H.W. Bush's 1988 pledge. "No new taxes," McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, "I'm not making a 'read my lips' statement, in that I will not raise taxes."

37. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.

38. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.

Energy Policy

39. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling; now he's against it.

40. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

41. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to be voluntary.

42. McCain explained his belief that a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax would provide an immediate economic stimulus. Shortly thereafter, he argued the exact opposite.

43. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn't.

Immigration Policy

44. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants' kids who graduate from high school. Now he's against it.

45. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.

46. In April, McCain promised voters that he would secure the borders "before proceeding to other reform measures." Two months later, he abandoned his public pledge, pretended that he'd never made the promise in the first place, and vowed that a comprehensive immigration reform policy has always been, and would always be, his "top priority."

Judicial Policy and the Rule of Law

47. McCain said he would "not impose a litmus test on any nominee." He used to promise the opposite.

48. McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration's warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

49. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform

50. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn't.

51. In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving "feedback" on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.

52. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

Politics and Associations

53. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn't.

54. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn't.

55. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry's Democratic ticket in 2004.

56. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

57. McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as "an agent of intolerance" in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans "deserved" the 9/11 attacks.

58. In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending "dirty money" to help finance Bush's presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

59. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

60. McCain decided in 2000 that he didn't want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he "would taint the image of the 'Straight Talk Express.'" Kissinger is now the honorary co-chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

61. McCain believed powerful right-wing activist/lobbyist Grover Norquist was "corrupt, a shill for dictators, and (with just a dose of sarcasm) Jack Abramoff's gay lover." McCain now considers Norquist a key political ally.

And while I realize there are some who believe these constant flip-flops are irrelevant, I respectfully disagree.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

................................................................................

................................................................................

.

.........

and i couldn't resist (there are so many examples to choose from:

http://thinkprogress.org/mccain-flip-flops/

John McCain’s 44 Flip-Flops

FOREIGN POLICY

* Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan

* Defense Spending

* Detention Of Detainees

* Divestment And Sanctions

* Donald Rumsfeld

* Henry Kissinger

* Illegal Wiretapping

* Law Of The Sea Convention

* Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq

* Negotiations With Hamas

* Negotiations With Syria

* Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

* Nuclear Reactors

* Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain

* Rogue State Rollback

* Torture

* 21st Century GI Bill

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

* Ethanol

* Everglades Restoration

* Offshore Drilling

ETHICS

* Criticizing The Media

* Katrina Investigations

* Lobbyists

* The Wyly Brothers

ECONOMY

* AIG Bailout

* Americans Live Better Under Bush

* Balancing The Budget

* Bush Tax Cuts

* Earmarks For Arizona

* Fairness Of The Estate Tax

* Job Losses In Michigan

* Social Security Privatization

* Tobacco Industry Regulations

* Windfall Profits Tax

IMMIGRATION

* The Dream Act

* Comprehensive Immigration Reform

RADICAL RIGHT

* The Confederate Flag

* Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right

* The NRA

* Teaching Intelligent Design

CIVIL RIGHTS

* Gay Marriage Amendment

HEALTH CARE

* Abortion Exceptions

* Repealing Roe v. Wade

* Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

Comment on this document here.

Social Security Privatization

McCain Flips:

In March 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that in an interview McCain said he “still backs a system of private retirement accounts that President Bush pushed unsuccessfully.” The Journal also noted that “a centerpiece of a McCain presidential bid in 2000 was a plan to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes to fund private accounts.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/2008]

McCain Flops:

At a town hall meeting in Pemberton, NJ on June 13, 2008, McCain was asked about privatization and replied that “I am not for quote ‘privatization of Social Security.’ I never have been, never will be. That is a great buzzword for an attack.” However, he then added that “workers should have the right to put their own taxes, their own money into an account,” which is still privatization. [Nashua Telegraph, 6/13/08]

Detention Of Detainees

McCain Flips:

In 2003, McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham wrote a letter to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld urging him to resolve the issue of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The letter said that “a serious process must be established in the very near term either to formally treat and process the detainees as war criminals or to return them to their countries for appropriate judicial action.” In 2005, he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press that “I know that some of these guys are terrible, terrible killers and the worst kind of scum of humanity. But, one, they deserve to have some adjudication of their cases.” [Meet the Press, 6/19/05]

McCain Flops:

In 2008 the Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo are required to receive habeas corpus rights. McCain called the Court’s ruling “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.” “Senator Graham, and Senator Lieberman, and I…made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, these are people who are not citizens. They do not and never have been given the rights that citizens of this country have,” he said. [Newark Star-Ledger, 6/14/08]

Offshore Drilling

McCain Flips:

In May 2008, McCain said “with those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels,” when asked about offshore drilling. [Huffington Post, 6/18/08]

McCain Flops:

Three weeks later, McCain announced that “there are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratoria.” [Washington Post, 6/17/08]

Criticizing The Media

McCain Flips:

In an interview with Newsweek, McCain denied that he ever said “the media often overlooked how compassionately [sen. Hillary Clinton] spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans.” McCain said in the interview that he “did not [say that] — that was in prepared remarks and I did not [say it]. I’m not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage.” [Newsweek, 6/7/08]

McCain Flops:

In a speech delivered on June 3, 2008, McCain did, in fact, deliver the line. [The Denver Post, 6/4/08]

21st Century GI Bill

McCain Flips:

McCain initially refused to co-sponsor Sen. Jim Webb’s 21st Century GI Bill of Rights, because of concerns that it did not have “incentives for people to stay in the military.” Instead of joining the other 56 co-sponsors and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America in pushing through Webb’s bill, McCain drafted his own bill which was “more focused on career officers, not the entire volunteer military force.” [The Hill, 4/22/08]

McCain Flops:

After a clause was added allowing service members to transfer their benefits to their family members, McCain supported Webb’s GI Bill. “[Transferral of benefits] has always been my primary concern with respect to the Webb bill, and it is essential that we continue to act decisively to encourage military service and ensure the well being of our All Volunteer Force,” McCain said in a statement. [ABC News, 6/19/08]

Illegal Wiretapping

McCain Flips:

In an interview with the Boston Globe in December 2007, McCain was asked if, as President, he would ever authorize illegal wiretapping. “I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “I don’t think the president has the right to disobey any law.” [boston Globe, 12/20/07]

McCain Flops:

The New York Times reported that a letter from top McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that McCain believes that the Constitution gave President Bush the authority to wiretap Americans “without warrants.” The letter says that “neither the Administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions that most people, except for the ACLU and the trial lawyers, understand were Constitutional and appropriate in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.” [New York Times, 6/6/08]

Taxpayer Funding For Contraception In Africa

McCain Flips:

McCain was asked whether he supports taxpayer funding for contraception in Africa, with the goal of preventing the spread of AIDS. McCain replied that he would rather fund abstinence education, but would provide contraception where abstinence “was not being followed.” [salon, 4/11/08]

McCain Flops:

Moments later, McCain said “Let me think about it a little bit … I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money … I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out … I’m sure I have taken a position on it in the past … I have to find out my position on it … I am sure I am opposed to government funding. I am sure I support the president’s policy on it.” He then said that “I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it in the past. I have to find out what my position was,” and asked an aide “Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception?” [salon, 4/11/08]

Abortion Exceptions

McCain Flips:

While campaigning for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, McCain chastised George Bush for adhering to the Republican “pro-life plank,” which includes no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. At that time, McCain said that the plank should be changed. In 2007, McCain told ABC news that he still wanted to see a change in the Republican platform. [Washington Post, 1/31/00 & ABC News’ Political Radar, 4/16/07]

McCain Flops:

Since gaining the Republican presidential nomination, McCain has not changed the party’s abortion plank, and neither does his campaign website mention the abortion exceptions that he used to support. [CNS, 8/29/08]

Fairness Of The Estate Tax

McCain Flips:

In a June 2006 speech on the Senate floor, McCain expressed his belief in “the essential morality of the estate tax,” and explained that he has “consistently voted against repealing this tax because of the impact it would have on the deficit, as well as the possible chilling affect it could have on charitable giving in this country.” [Huffington Post, 6/10/08]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, McCain delivered a speech before the National Federation of Independent Business in Washington in which he called the tax “one of the most unfair tax laws on the books.” [CNN Money, 6/10/08]

Nuclear Waste Storage At Yucca Mountain

McCain Flips:

In March 2007, McCain told the Utah Deseret News that he is “for Yucca Mountain. I’m for storage facilities.” In May 2008, McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin told Reuters that “the political opposition to the Yucca Mountain storage facility is harmful to the U.S. interest and the facility should be completed, opened and utilized.” [Deseret News, 3/3/07 & Reuters 5/6/08]

McCain Flops:

In a speech in Reno, NV, McCain announced that he would seek to establish an international repository for spent nuclear fuel that would “make it unnecessary to open the proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/27/08]

Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain said in an interview on CNN’s Late Edition that he is “not in favor of sticking my finger in the eye of Fidel Castro. In fact, I would favor a road map towards normalization of relations such as we presented to the Vietnamese and led to a normalization of relations between our two countries.” [CNN Late Edition w/ Wolf Blitzer, 4/9/00]

McCain Flops:

On the campaign trail against Barack Obama, McCain told Cuban-Americans in Florida “that he would maintain the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba if he is elected president.” [Wall Street Journal, 5/21/08]

Defense Spending

McCain Flips:

Writing in Foreign Affairs in 2007, McCain explained that to promote national security the U.S. can “afford to spend more on national defense, which currently consumes less than four cents of every dollar that our economy generates — far less than what we spent during the Cold War.” [Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, Forbes noted that “McCain’s top economic adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, blithely supposes that cuts in defense spending could make up for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and the subsequent shrinkage in federal revenues.” [Forbes, 6/9/08]

Everglades Restoration

McCain Flips:

McCain explained in June 2008 that he is “in favor of doing whatever’s necessary to save the Everglades,” which he called “one of America’s greatest natural treasures.” [Herald Tribune, 6/5/08 & Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:

As the Miami Herald reported, McCain voted against a 2007 bill that would provide 2 billion to Everglade restoration. He also “did not participate in the landmark debate over the state-federal partnership to preserve the Everglades in 2000,” and was “out of town” for the subsequent 85-1 vote in the Senate. [Miami Herald, 6/4/08]

Katrina Investigations

McCain Flips:

At a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge on June 3, 2008, McCain said regarding government failure in the aftermath of Katrina that he has “supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy.” [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

McCain Flops:

In September 2005, McCain joined conservatives in voting against “establishing a commission to investigate the levee failures” that occurred during hurricane Katrina. In 2006, McCain also opposed a commission to study the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. [Los Angeles Times, 6/25/08]

Torture

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain pushed President Bush to sign a bill that would, among other provisions, prohibit “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” of anyone in U.S. government custody. McCain authored the torture ban himself. “We’ve sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists,” McCain said. McCain was also against waterboarding, saying during presidential primary campaigning “all I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is being used against Buddhist monks today…It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.” [MSNBC, 12/15/05 & New York Times, 10/26/07]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain voted against the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding. [New York Times, 2/17/08]

Bush Tax Cuts

McCain Flips:

In 2001 and 2003 McCain opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, saying on the Senate floor that “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief.” [bloomberg, 6/6/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, McCain voted to extend the Bush tax cuts, in what the Washington Times called a “sharp departure from his anti-tax-cut posture.” In February 2008, McCain went even further, and called for the tax cuts to be made permanent. “Well, I think the worst thing we can do right now, Chris, is — we’ve got some shaky economic times — is to increase people’s taxes,” he said. “And I think that what we need is more tax cuts. We need to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.” [Washington Times, 2/27/06 & Fox News Sunday 2/3/08]

Ethanol

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 primaries, McCain said during a debate that “ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer.” Three years later, he opined that “ethanol is a product that would not exist if Congress didn’t create an artificial market for it. No one would be willing to buy it.” [MSNBC debate, 12/14/99 & Fortune 10/31/06]

McCain Flops:

In an August 2006 speech in Grinnell, Iowa, McCain said “I support ethanol, and I think it is a vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects.” [Fortune 8/15/06]

Job Losses In Michigan

McCain Flips:

In a January 2008 speech in Grand Rapids, McCain said “I’ve got to give you some straight talk: Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back. They are not. And I am sorry to tell you that.”[boston Globe, 1/10/08]

McCain Flops:

Six months later, Bloomberg news reported that McCain “is singing a different tune, striking a populist pose and saying ‘new jobs are coming’” to Michigan. [bloomberg, 6/5/08]

Windfall Profits Tax

McCain Flips:

In a May 5, 2008 speech in North Carolina, McCain said that “I don’t like obscene profits being made anywhere–and I’d be glad to look not just at the windfall profits tax.” [CNN, 5/8/08]

McCain Flops:

In June 2008, McCain criticized Sen. Obama for supporting a windfall profits tax. “If the plan sounds familiar, it’s because that was President Jimmy Carter’s big idea, too, and a lot of good it did us,’’ McCain said, adding that such a tax would hinder domestic exploration. [New York Times, 6/17/08]

Balancing The Budget

McCain Flips:

Fortune reported in February that McCain “pledges to balance the budget by 2012, not by increasing taxes, but by vetoing all pork barrel spending, and curbing outlays for Social Security and Medicare.” [Fortune, 2/19/08]

McCain Flops:

The same day, it was reported that McCain’s economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin said “McCain’s overall goal is to balance the budget by the end of his second term,” or 2017. [Robert Samuelson, 2/19/08]

McCain Flips:

Two months later, Holtz-Eakin said at a symposium sponsored by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget that “I would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction,” adding that “if the war and the personal and corporate tax cuts that Mr. McCain advocated added to the federal deficit and debt, so be it.” [New York Times, 4/14/08]

McCain Flops:

Finally, in June, the McCain campaign came back to its original pledge, with Holtz-Eakin saying that McCain’s economic plan, “when appropriately phased in, as it has always been intended to be, will bring the budget to balance by the end of his first term.” [bloomberg, 6/6/08]

Divestment And Sanctions

McCain Flips:

During a June 2, 2008 speech before the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), McCain said “years ago, the moral clarity and conviction of civilized nations came together in a divestment campaign against South Africa, helping to rid that nation of the evil of apartheid. In our day, we must use that same power and moral conviction against the regime in Iran, and help to safeguard the people of Israel and the peace of the world.” [6/2/08]

McCain Flops:

In 1985 and 1986, McCain voted against sanctions and United States divestment from the apartheid regime in South Africa six times. [Think Progress, 6/4/08]

Negotiations With Hamas

McCain Flips:

During an interview in 2006 with Sky News’ James Rubin (now of the Washington Post), McCain was asked “Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?” McCain answered that “they’re the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, but it’s a new reality in the Middle East.” [Washington Post, 5/16/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

Negotiations With Syria

McCain Flips:

In 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was heavily criticized for agreeing to visit Syria. McCain defended Powell, saying that “Colin Powell is going to look [President] Bashar Assad in the eye and say, look, you know. You better clean up your act here. It’s a new day in the Middle East. And I think it’s entirely appropriate to do that,” despite his admission that “I think they’re–they’re sponsoring and harboring terrorists.” [Hardball, 4/23/03 & Today Show, 4/18/03]

McCain Flops:

Yet again, in 2008, McCain said that Senator Obama was showing “naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment” because of his willingness to meet with U.S. foes. [Associated Press, 5/16/08]

The NRA

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain said on CNN that “the NRA is entitled to their advocacy. I don’t think they help the Republican Party at all, and I don’t think they should in any way play a major role in the Republican Party’s policy making.” He was also labeled “one of the premier flag-carriers for enemies of the Second Amendment” by the NRA. [CNN, 5/12/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain spoke before the NRA’s National Convention, and said that “President Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would put the rights of ‘law-abiding’ gun owners at risk,” and announced that “I look forward to receiving [the NRA’s] endorsement.” [New York Times, 5/17/08 & Wall Street Journal, 5/16/08]

Tobacco Industry Regulations

McCain Flips:

In 1998, McCain pushed hard to pass a bill regulating the tobacco industry, saying “it is illegal for children to purchase tobacco in every state in the country. And in every state … tobacco companies have invested enormous sums of money and time to encourage widespread lawbreaking. Now is the time to put an end to it.” Among other provisions, the bill would have raised taxes on cigarettes by $1.10. McCain also told PBS that he would “never” give up trying to regulate the tobacco industry. [CNN’s All Politics, 5/18/98 & PBS Newshour, 4/21/98]

McCain Flops:

In August 2007, McCain voted against a bill that raised tobacco taxes by 61 cents in order to pay for an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Then, McCain agreed to cosponsor a bill allowing the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry, but said that he “won’t commit to voting for it until he sees the final legislation.” [boston Globe, 3/26/08]

Lobbyists

McCain Flips:

In 1996 and 1997, McCain attempted to push through Congress a bill that would “ban a candidate or a candidate’s authorized committee from paying registered lobbyists.” “Registered lobbyists who work for campaigns as fundraisers clearly represent a conflict of interest,” he said. “When a campaign employs an individual who also lobbies that Member, the perception of undue and unfair influence is raised.” [Huffington Post, 5/20/08]

McCain Flops:

While running for President, McCain has had 159 lobbyists campaign or raise money for him. [Progressive Accountability]

Rogue State Rollback

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain proposed an aggressive foreign policy platform called “rogue state rollback” to deal with countries like Iraq, Libya, North Korea. “I’d institute a policy that I call ‘rogue state rollback,’” he said. “I would arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would eventually overthrow the governments and install free and democratically elected governments.” [CNN’s Larry King Live, 2/15/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2008, McCain attempted to soften the policy. “I wasn’t saying that we should go around and declare war,” he said. “I was saying that we nations of like values and principles and belief in democracy and freedom should make efforts to modify the behavior of other nations.” [ABC News, 4/15/08]

Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain was asked about a long term U.S. troop presence in Iraq. “I not only think we could get along without it, but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” he replied. “And I don‘t pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.” [Hardball, 2/1/05]

McCain Flops:

At a town hall meeting in NH in January 2008, McCain said that it would be “fine” to keep troops in Iraq for a “hundred” years. “Make it a hundred. We’ve been in South Korea … we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me.” [Mother Jones Blog, 1/3/08]

Americans Live Better Under Bush

McCain Flips:

On April 17, 2008, McCain appeared on Bloomberg TV and faced the question “if Americans were asked, are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago, what answer would they give?” He replied that “I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, you could make an argument that there’s been great progress economically over that period of time. But that’s no comfort.” [bloomberg TV, 4/17/08]

Mccain Flops:

The next day, McCain again appeared on Bloomberg TV, and this time said unequivocally that “Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago.” [bloomberg TV, 4/18/08]

Earmarks For Arizona

McCain Flips:

In a Fox News Presidential Forum, McCain claimed that “in 24 years as a member of Congress, I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my state.” [Fox News, 1/5/08]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, McCain funneled $10 million towards the University of Arizona for an academic center. In 2003, he also sent $14.3 million from a defense appropriations bill to Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base. [New York Times, 2/18/06 & Roll Call 11/6/03]

Law Of The Sea Convention

McCain Flips:

According to the Washington Times, “Mr. McCain’s support for the sea treaty stretched back to the 1990s, when he signed a letter with three other senators urging its passage, and continued through 2003, when he was scheduled to testify on its behalf before a Senate committee.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

McCain Flops:

In October 2007, McCain said of the treaty that “I would probably vote against it in its present form.” [Washington Times, 10/31/07]

The Dream Act

McCain Flips:

In 2005, McCain was a co-sponsor of S. 774, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) which would have provided high-achieving high school students who are long-term illegal immigrants and who wish to serve in the armed forces or attend college the ability to gain conditional legal status. [s. 774]

McCain Flops:

In 2007, McCain skipped a vote on the DREAM Act, and said that “he would have opposed it on the Senate floor last week if he had stuck around for the vote.” [Huffington Post, 10/24/07 & Washington Times, 10/31/07]

Repealing Roe v. Wade

McCain Flips:

In 1999, McCain told the San Fransisco Chronicle that “certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” [Washington Post, 8/24/99]

McCain Flops:

McCain’s campaign website now calls Roe v. Wade “a flawed decision that must be overturned.” [site]

Gay Marriage Amendment

McCain Flips:

In 2004, McCain broke with conservative ranks and opposed the federal ban on gay marriage, saying “the constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans. It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.” [CNN, 7/14/04]

McCain Flops:

Two years later, ABC News reported that McCain was cozying up Jerry Falwell, and that McCain “reconfirmed” to Falwell that he would support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman if a federal court were to strike down state constitutional bans on gay marriage. [ABC News, 3/28/06]

The Confederate Flag

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 Presidential Primaries, McCain was asked about the Confederate flag and replied that “personally, I see the flag as a symbol of heritage.” [1/12/00]

McCain Flops:

McCain then called for the flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse, telling South Carolina, “I believe the flag should be removed from your Capitol, and I am encouraged that fair-minded people on both sides of the issue are working hard to define an honorable compromise.” He also admitted that his previous view was political pandering. “I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles,” he said. [New York Times, 4/20/00]

Henry Kissinger

McCain Flips:

In 2000, McCain professed friendship with Kissinger, but McCain’s “handlers opted not to have the two appear publicly together, fearing the legendary obfuscator would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” [New York Magazine, 11/26/06]

McCain Flops:

Kissinger is now an honorary co-chair for McCain’s presidential campaign in New York. [The Hotline, 12/19/06]

Nuclear Reactors

McCain Flips:

The Los Angeles Times reported that “earlier in his congressional career, McCain was a consistent opponent of subsidies for nuclear power, voting five times in the 1990s against taxpayer aid for research on new-generation nuclear reactors. As recently as 2003, McCain opposed federal loan guarantees to help the nuclear industry finance new plants.” [Los Angeles Times, 7/1/08]

McCain Flops:

As a campaign policy pitch in 2008, McCain set a goal of building 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030, which would be aided by $3.7 billion in subsidies to the nuclear industry. [MSNBC, 6/18/08]

Teaching Intelligent Design

McCain Flips:

In a 2005 interview with the Arizona Star, McCain was for the teaching of intelligent design. “I think that there has to be all points of view presented,” he said. “I think there’s nothing wrong with teaching different schools of thought.” When asked specifically if it belonged in a science classroom, he replied, “there’s enough scientists that believe it does. I’m not a scientist. This is something that I think all points of view should be presented.” [Arizona Star, 8/28/05]

McCain Flops:

One year later, McCain decided that intelligent design was actually inappropriate for a science classroom. “I happen to believe in evolution,” he said. “I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not.” However, that didn’t stop him from being the keynote speaker at a function for The Discovery Institute, the most prominent creationism advocacy group in the country. [The Aspen Times, 6/2/06, & Discovery Institute, 2/23/07]

Attacking Terrorists In Pakistan

McCain Flips:

During his victory speech following the Wisconsin primary, McCain claimed that by electing Sen. Obama “we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [uSA Today, 2/21/08]

McCain Flops:

First, Obama actually said that “if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.” Then, President Bush took this exact course of action, unilaterally calling for a strike against terrorist cells in Pakistani territory. McCain has not commented on Bush “bombing our ally, Pakistan.” [Media Matters, 2/20/08 & Washington Post, 2/19/08]

The Wyly Brothers

McCain Flips:

When the Wyly brothers produced attack ads against McCain and in favor of George Bush in 2000, McCain asked “Are we going to allow two cronies of George W. Bush to hijack this election? Tell them to keep their dirty money in the state of Texas, my friends. Don’t spread it all over New England and America.” [ABC News, 4/23/06]

McCain Flops:

In 2006, Sam Wyly and his wife Cheryl gave McCain’s political action committee $10,000, and contributions from the two brothers eventually amounted to $20,000. McCain returned the money only when he “learned that the Wylys were under federal investigation for alleged tax evasion.” [The Hotline, 5/24/06]

Jerry Falwell And The Religious Right

McCain Flips:

During the 2000 Presidential primaries, McCain referred to Falwell and other Christian right leaders as “agents of intolerance.” [CNN, 2/28/00]

McCain Flops:

In 2006 McCain delivered the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty University. Falwell “rolled out the red carpet for his old adversary, assembling about 150 church leaders from around the country for a Friday night reception and later hosting a small, private dinner for the senator.” [Washington Post, 5/14/06]

Donald Rumsfeld

McCain Flips:

In 2004, McCain told Fox News “I believe [Rumsfeld]’s done a fine job … He’s an honorable man.” [Fox News, 5/12/04]

McCain Flops:

During a primary debate in 2008, McCain claimed “I’m the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go.” [Republican Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

McCain Flips:

In June 2008, McCain said of his failed 2006 attempt at immigration reform, “I haven’t won on every issue. I didn’t win on immigration reform, but I’ll go back at it. And I’m glad I did it.” He has also called immigration reform a “top priority.” [Las Vesgas Sun, 6/26/08, New York Times, 5/22/08]

McCain Flops:

In a January 30 primary debate, McCain said that he would not vote for his own bill today, “because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first.” [1/30/08]

AIG Bailout

McCain Flips:

During an interview on NBC’s Today Show, McCain said “No, I do not believe that the American taxpayer should be on the hook for AIG and I’m glad that the Secretary Paulson has apparently taken the same line.” [NBC, 9/16/08]

McCain Flops:

The next day on ABC, McCain said “I didn’t want to do that. And I don’t think anybody I know wanted to do that. But there are literally millions of people whose retirement, whose investment, whose insurance were at risk here. They were going to have their lives destroyed because of the greed and excess and corruption.” [ABC, 9/17/08]

Sweetheart Thanx But I Already Get The Sunday Paper

[Medhb]

Everyone's off for Christmas. You do realize that our country has practically removed the religious...ness... from Christmas, right? That's different. I expect them to be off for Christmas.

That said, if they take off all eight days of Hanukkah, I will personally run a campaign against the lazy fuckers.

They should NOT be off for Rosh Hashana. It is NOT their place to take off for it. Our economy needs to be fixed, and now anti-semites can blame us Jews for it because Congress decided to take off for a Jewish holiday that doesn't even concern them

I can understand Lieberman or Feingold taking off, but not the entire fucking Congress. Especially not when we need them as badly as we do.

I totally agree with you on this Nate, I was appalled! I don't care if it's frikkin Rosh Hashana OR Christmas!! Get yer asses in there and take care of your JOB!! I really think that they should have to take an oath that no matter what they're religions beliefs are they will NOT interfere with their job functions in an emergency or critical situation. PERIOD.

Full separation of church and state.

[Footsteps of Dawn]

I just want to know why there's a Pan-Asian Club at my university. I mean, there's already the Chinese Club, the Japanese Club, the Vietnamese Club, the Thai Club, the every-other-culture-in-Asia Club, so what exactly is the purpose of the Asian Club? Isn't that like having the White Club or something? I mean, these people don't have much in common except that they look more similar to each other than they do to people of Caucasian, African, and Arab descent, so what the hell do they talk about? "Yeah, how 'bout them Padres?" It just seems kind of pointless.

I'm not going to get into the whole "If there's an Asian Club, why can't there be a White Club, too?" debate, because that's really not my point. I don't want a White Club, because why would I want to exclude potential friends who aren't white? Same in this case... Do Asians not want to be friends with non-Asians, then? That's pretty racist. Something's not right here...

[Electrophile]

My high school had ethnic clubs as well, and they aren't racist. You didn't even have to be that ethnicity to join. Every year our school put on International Fest and those ethnic clubs would put on performances. The Irish Club would do the Reel, the Italian Club would do the Tarantella, the Asian-Filipino Club would do traditional Filipino dances, the list goes on. The sole purpose for the clubs to exist in the first place, were to 1) prepare foods, dances and exhibits for International Fest and 2) to go on field trips or other such school-sponsored events that highlighted that cultural group. My school was big on highlighting and celebrating diversity. I'm not Irish in anyway, but I was a member of the Irish Club all 4 years, because my two closest friends WERE Irish and I liked being a part of their performances every year. No big deal.

Why don't you find out the purpose of these clubs instead of assuming there's some kind of racist connotation to them.

[Medhb]

When politicians mention -joe sixpack...f-that when is the gov't gonna do something for joe 12pack.

[docron]

I got two peeves tonight:

1.

As most of you know, the USA's Economy is... well... dead. Wall Street has just taken the biggest loss in its history (eat it, 1929!).

Correction: worst loss points-wise... but not worst loss percentage-wise... that was in 1987. I don't think I have to elaborate on which one is actually worse.

Oct. 28, 1929: loss of 12.82% (down 39.33 points) (ranked 2nd-worst loss)

Oct. 19, 1987: loss of 22.61% (down 508.00 points) (ranked 1st-worst loss)

Sept. 29, 2008: loss of 6.98% (down 777.68 points) (ranked 17th-worst loss)

1987 crash:

It's bad, but its been worse 17 times and obviously you still have enough money to afford internet and a computer... so quit freaking out.

Edited to add my own pet peeve:

Tommy's Pet Peeve #458

The admins nicked my [ultra_cool_modern_formatting]

[ ]

Oh well

[Medhb]

Correction: worst loss points-wise... but not worst loss percentage-wise... that was in 1987. I don't think I have to elaborate on which one is actually worse.

Oct. 28, 1929: loss of 12.82% (down 39.33 points) (ranked 2nd-worst loss)

Oct. 19, 1987: loss of 22.61% (down 508.00 points) (ranked 1st-worst loss)

Sept. 29, 2008: loss of 6.98% (down 777.68 points) (ranked 17th-worst loss)

1987 crash:

It's bad, but its been worse 17 times and obviously you still have enough money to afford internet and a computer... so quit freaking out.

Edited to add my own pet peeve:

Tommy's Pet Peeve #458

The admins nicked my [ultra_cool_modern_formatting]

[ ]

Oh well

Awwwwww.....well it was fun while it lasted

[lzfan715]

People as a whole irritate me.

Sorry, if I sound rude. I've had a really long night.

[alucard]

People as a whole irritate me.

Sorry, if I sound rude. I've had a really long night.

Collectively, I agree. I can't stand society, but I love individuals one-on-one. I don't like it when people have to adjust their behavior to suit those around them, and that becomes more evident in large gatherings. For someone to be able to let their hair down often requires them to be alone or around a minimum of people.

[Patrycja]

Thanks for the thoughts. She is home but the problem isnt solved. Cant wait to see the bill.

I had a brain cramp for a second and thought, "What for?" That's not a dig in any way, it's just completely not something I'm used to. Increased hospital waiting times yes, paying no. It's like adding salt to a wound when you have to take someone in to begin with and then have the added worry of what the bill will be. Is there any way insurance can cover some sort of longer term restorative care for your wife?