Another McCain Flip Flop

[RunInRed 16,409]

We seriously could have an entire debate about John McCain 2000 vs John McCain 2008. Oh the pandering. The count on major issues is now up to four:

Immigration

Taxes

Social Security Privatization

Offshore Drilling

McCain Seeks to End Offshore Drilling Ban

By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin

Washington Post Staff Writers

Tuesday, June 17, 2008; Page A01

Sen. John McCain called yesterday for an end to the federal ban on offshore oil drilling, offering an aggressive response to high gasoline prices and immediately drawing the ire of environmental groups that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has courted for months.

The move is aimed at easing voter anger over rising energy prices by freeing states to open vast stretches of the country's coastline to oil exploration. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, nearly 80 percent said soaring prices at the pump are causing them financial hardship, the highest in surveys this decade.

"We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil," McCain told reporters yesterday. In a speech today, he plans to add that "we have untapped oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. . . . It is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions."

McCain's announcement is a reversal of the position he took in his 2000 presidential campaign and a break with environmental activists, even as he attempts to win the support of independents and moderate Democrats. Since becoming the presumptive GOP nominee in March, McCain has presented himself as a friend of the environment by touting his plans to combat global warming and his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in the Everglades.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8061602731.html

[CCTAU 3,326]

In 2000 we weren't hostages to the oil producing companies of the world. Now we are. Sounds like a smart decision to many people. Only an idiot would see it as flip-flopping almost 9 years later. Things change. Hopefully a presidential candidate can change for the good of the country too. It's not like he changed his position on something like abortion.

[GoAU 1,600]

I like it much better than continuing to dump money tirelessly into the Muslim extremist countries.

[AFTiger 282]

McCain needs one more flip - - drilling in ANWR!

[RunInRed 16,409]

McCain needs one more flip - - drilling in ANWR!

I'm sure it will probably come soon.

[RunInRed 16,409]

Things change. Hopefully a presidential candidate can change for the good of the country too.

I'm sure you were saying the same thing about John Kerry in 2004. Riiight.

It's not like he changed his position on something like abortion.

Careful careful....

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote200...4779&page=1

So some one step up and answer the question: Why was it not ok for John Kerry to flip in 2004 ("he's not a man of principles") but now that McCain has done it on a myriad of issues it is ok ("his position has evolved...bravo!"). This just reaks of political pandering and politics as usual to me. Where am I wrong?

[Justin5 20]

runinred63, go easy on them - it's going to be a brutal fall season. But to answer your question, YES, it is comical how now that it is acceptable to change positions. Kerry definitely didn't get that treatment. Can't say I'm surprised though.

Good thing the football team she keep us all in a good mood.

[AFTiger 282]

McCain needs one more flip - - drilling in ANWR!

I'm sure it will probably come soon.

I hope so. Then we can actually see a sane energy policy.

CFL Light Bulbs

[kwagoner 214]

I can see where he is coming from......not that I agree with it.

The average price of gas in 2000 was $1.54 (Boy those were the good ol days). The public was jumping up and down worried about the escalating prices.

$1.54

Now with the average is two and a half times that in less than 10 years later. You have to be flexible to keep up with current times trends and conditions. Since it is more of an imediate issue today, I can see where he justifies his flipping and flopping.

As general fact, people will change their mind. They'll jump the fence from time to time. It has to be accepted.

Kerry falls in that mold too. He changed his mind. If you don't like someone changing teams, move on to the next guy you agree with. For most of the big McCain supporters, this is not a deal breaking switch, so they stick with him.

On a personal note, I don't care if Kerry asked me what I thought about every issue then based his campaign off of my responses, I wouldn't vote for him. There was just something about that transparent smirk that I couldn't trust. I didn't like how he never cared to elaborate much on his "plan" he always referenced either. I could never get warm and fuzzy enough to vote for him even with the other options out there.

[Justin5 20]

On a personal note, I don't care if Kerry asked me what I thought about every issue then based his campaign off of my responses, I wouldn't vote for him. There was just something about that transparent smirk that I couldn't trust. I didn't like how he never cared to elaborate much on his "plan" he always referenced either. I could never get warm and fuzzy enough to vote for him even with the other options out there.

Funny, that is what like 80% of republicans would say about McCain about 1 year ago.

[CCTAU 3,326]

On a personal note, I don't care if Kerry asked me what I thought about every issue then based his campaign off of my responses, I wouldn't vote for him. There was just something about that transparent smirk that I couldn't trust. I didn't like how he never cared to elaborate much on his "plan" he always referenced either. I could never get warm and fuzzy enough to vote for him even with the other options out there.

Funny, that is what like 80% of republicans would say about McCain about 1 year ago.

LINK PLEASE. 80% SEEMS TO BE UNFOUNDED.

[Justin5 20]

On a personal note, I don't care if Kerry asked me what I thought about every issue then based his campaign off of my responses, I wouldn't vote for him. There was just something about that transparent smirk that I couldn't trust. I didn't like how he never cared to elaborate much on his "plan" he always referenced either. I could never get warm and fuzzy enough to vote for him even with the other options out there.

Funny, that is what like 80% of republicans would say about McCain about 1 year ago.

LINK PLEASE. 80% SEEMS TO BE UNFOUNDED.

I used the qualifier 'like'. I am going by communication with Republicans I know, and I know quite a few from living in Alabama, and my job where I work Texas energy groups who are pillars of the Republican party.

[CCTAU 3,326]

Nice little commentary that says it all:

The more we find out about achmed and terrorism, the more we see that he has no idea what's going on.

OBAMARANTS

OK ... so this is rambling ... but someone needs to really start calling this Obama character, and his fawning followers, out.

I just love hearing The Messiah slamming McCain for "flip-flopping" on the issue of offshore drilling. I seem to remember that a few months ago Barack Obama was talking about almost doubling the capital gains tax. He wanted to take it up to 28%. Suddenly that changed. Apparently some advisors who are smarter than him had a little sit-down, and the idea went away. Flip-flopping?

The people of this country, even people who call themselves liberal, want us to start recovering our own reserves of oil, including oil located offshore. Obama says that this is McCain pandering to oil companies. Pandering to oil companies? Obama's ploy here is to play to the ignorance and wealth envy of the American people by slamming oil companies hour after hour, day after day.

The American people want to drill and drill now (LINK). Even when you poll liberals you find that a majority of them support drilling for new oil. There are 95 billion barrels of oil in our offshore waters. What in the hell are we doing funding our countries enemies buy purchasing their crude when we could be spending that money here at home increasing our own capacity? Well, in an Obamanation I guess you fund your enemies every time you fill your tank rather than pander to those damned oil companies. Yeah ... makes sense to me.

Obama wants you to believe that the American oil companies are manipulating the price of oil. Yeah, sure they are. The five major American oil companies control about five percent of the world's oil. Tell me how in the wide wide world of politics can these five companies who control five percent of the world's oil manipulate oil prices like this? Obama knows this – but he also knows that you don't know. Wake up. He's playing on your ignorance. He wants to spend $150 billion of YOUR dollars screwing around with wind power, solar power and other green dreams. Oh yeah ... let's put the federal government, the same outfit that gave us Medicare and Social Security, take charge or our search for alternative fuels. Let me know how that works out for you.

Barack Obama knows that the voters more likely to support him don't know squat about oil economics. He can sit there without a shred of proof blaming the oil companies for the high gas prices .. and he can get away with it because he knows his supporters aren't intellectually curious enough to demand an explanation.

Obama says that drilling now would have no appreciable impact on gas prices. Sorry, he's wrong. Not that you're surprised by that. I've been sitting here listening to expert after expert talk about an almost immediate affect on oil prices if the U.S. would announce a full-bore exploration and recovery program – then Obama says it ain't so. Oh yeah ... I'm going to take his word on this. After all, he is The Messiah.

Day after day the Obama ocean grows shallower and shallower. The man simply cannot deal with the issues ... certainly not in a meaningful way. Slogans and pabulum .. the Obama diet.

The biggest issue facing our country? Terrorism. OK, so you're asleep on this one; you whistling past the graveyard. Those Islamic radicals are out there, and they have every intent on killing as many of us as they can. To Obama .. terrorism is now a law enforcement problem. Now sit down. I don't want you to fall and break anything when you hear this. Obama actually said yesterday that if we were to capture Osama bin Laden he should be entitled to an attorney and his day in the U.S. Courts. This even though he is not a citizen, is not in this country, and is in no way entitled to these protections.

Do you have any idea what happens when someone like bin Laden, or any terrorist for that matter, gets access to the American courts? We are at war! These people are enemy combatants! You don't put them into our court system. You don't let Ramsey Clark represent them in your local criminal court. You don't give them access to the discovery privileges that are afforded other criminal defendants.

Here's an example. When one Islamic goon was managed to get access to the U.S. courts his attorney filed some discovery motions that forced our government to turn over intelligence gathering information. Contained in that information was the fact that we had been monitoring bin Laden's cell phone. Guess what happened within days? You got it. Osama's cell phone went dead. We haven't picked up on his new one yet. Good work.

John Kerry ... pimping for Obama ... says that Bush has been a complete failure on terror. Oh yeah, that's right. That's why our country has been suffering from so many Islamic terror attacks since 9/11. The Poodle is old news.

How do you like being so blatantly manipulated? Do you like this smooth talker taking advantage of your ignorance like this?

Commentary

[RunInRed 16,409]

I guess when you are beaten into submission and you have no counter argument left, you just post some random article that attempts to demonize the candidate I support. That's weak - even for you CCT, that's weak.

[Justin5 20]

That was rather odd, wasn't it.

Let me try:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/a...0,4714208.story

No signs of water yet from Mars lander

NASA

A shallow trench is left on the Mars surface after two digs by the Phoenix probe.

Scientists think Phoenix's robotic arm just needs to dig a little deeper. 'This could be the tip of the iceberg,' one says.

By John Johnson Jr., Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

June 17, 2008

In its first chemical analysis of soil from Mars' northern plains, NASA's Phoenix lander has turned up no evidence of water, scientists said Monday.

Still, researchers remained confident that the craft is in the right place to uncover veins of ice believed to lie only inches beneath the surface.

[CCTAU 3,326]

I guess when you are beaten into submission and you have no counter argument left, you just post some random article that attempts to demonize the candidate I support. That's weak - even for you CCT, that's weak.

Did he not say these things? Are not these his views? I think so, therefore the candidate you support must be a DEMON. (According to you)

Achmed's theme song should be "Give it away" - RedHot Chili peppers

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away give it away give it away now

[tiger88 934]

I can't think of a better issue to flip flop on. Times have really changed since he held the previous position.

[autigeremt 6,616]

This is a flip to the good, as long as we continue to explore alternative energy in the mean time.

McCain has every right to change his stance on an issue like this. The dems have no real solution, and they don't want to step on the toes of their leaders from MoveOn and Enviro. radicals. I really don't care if you call McCain a flip-flopper on this issue.....sitting on our hands is like waiting on a time bomb to explode and not trying to defuse it. This has the makings of a very critical period in our nations history. Obama isn't ready for this, and McCain may not be, but I'll take my chances with McCain.