Here we go again...this time, let's meet his challenge

Sen. McCain has either been sniffing glue, or the rigors of the campaign have taken a toll on his mental acuity (what little of it remained) as he’s once again daring people to point out his flip-flopping

Unfortunately, the traditional media didn’t pick up on the story the first time, so let’s make sure they do THIS time.

During an interview yesterday with a local DC the reporter doing the interview told McCain that some “commentators” and even some “personal friends” have asked; “Where is the John McCain from 2000?”

McCain took umbrage with the question and claimed that nothing had changed since 2000, saying; “You’ll have to tell me what’s changed. I love it when they say, “Oh McCain has changed.” And I say, “What have I changed on?” They can’t name a single issue or they’ll name an issue and it’s false. I’m the same guy. I’m proud of our campaign.”

Well, well, well… here we go again.

ThinkProgress has identified a plethora of issues that McCain has flip-flopped on and I, as I’ve done before, am proud to present my Top Ten McCain Flip-Flops:

10. John Hagee, Rod Parsley. Jerry Falwell. All three are ‘controversial’ (read: idiotic) religious leaders who have either said outrageous and inane things or done outrageous and inane things. First he didn’t want their endorsement… then he did… then he didn’t again, but still kept the endorsement. Confused? Imagine how McCain feels…

09. Lobbyists. Back in May of this year McCain approved a ban on lobbyists working for his campaign… months later in July his campaign changed their mind and said lobbyists could work for his campaign.

08. Roe v Wade. First he said he would NOT repeal it, now he says the exact opposite.

07. Immigration. McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill. (Voting against your own bill is damn near the definition of flip-flopping. You can also see is own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997 that he crafted yet now opposes as another example of voting against a bill he created)

06. Taxes. McCain was against Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them and vowing to keep them in place.

05. Social Security. First he defended the “privatizing” of Social Security and now he says he’s against privatization when in reality he still supports it. Also, at first he said he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes… not soon after he said “nothing off the table” regarding an increase in the payroll tax.

04. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill to the point he offered his own version that was panned by every veteran’s group dating back to the Peloponnesian war… how he’s for it AND taking credit for it. And to add to his delusion, he maintains that veteran’s groups support him and give him their highest grades; they don’t…

03. McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas, he now believes the opposite. He also believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria, he now believes the opposite. He also supported normalization of relations with Cuba… he now believes the opposite. (Do you sense a trend here?)

02. Torture. How in God’s name a former POW who was tortured over a course of five years can support waterboarding is anyone’s guess. But this past February McCain did just that and reversed course on the banning of waterboarding.

And the number one McCain flip-flop can STILL be summed up in one word: Iraq.

McCain’s claimed in the past that he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy, apparently forgetting that in December 2003 McCain praised Rumsfeld’s strategy as “a mission accomplished.” He echoed that thought in March 2004 when he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” Follow that up with his remark in December 2005 when he said; “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”

Additionally, McCain said before the war in Iraq that the US 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” which proves that republicans have trouble grasping the concept of video recording.

As if that wasn’t enough, McCain has also changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq many, many many, many times… coming to the different conclusion that a Korea-like presence is both a good and a bad idea.

These aren’t even counting the facts that he opposed a holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it… or that he endorsed intelligent design creationism in 2005 before saying the opposite a year later and then months after that saying that he was for and against creationism… or the fact he opposed a variety of measures on equal pay for women but then, this past July, said that he’s “committed to making sure that there’s equal pay for equal work. That, is my record and you can count on it” (not on my life would I count on ANYTHING this man says)… or how he changed course on Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumventing the law… or the fact he was all for closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, now not so much.

As I’ve said on this blog many times, in the right circumstances I would have voted for the 2000 version of John McCain as he was, at the time, individualistic and went against the thoughts of his own party… but after getting his clock cleaned by Bush in 2000, he changed to someone who has now raised the flip-flop to an art form…

Once again McCain is challenging people to show examples of how he’s flip-flopped.

I saws let’s show him… and hopefully the traditional media decides to stop fellating the McCain campaign and does the same thing.

Though I won’t hold my breath.

Another ‘senior moment’ for McCain?

Seriously, the best writer in the world couldn’t make this stuff up....

According to Spain’s El País, earlier this week Sen. McCain wouldn't answer whether he would be willing to meet with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

The reporter asked multiple times; “Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr. Zapatero?”

Not surprisingly, McCain couldn’t offer a coherent and logical response;

McCain proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America -- but not Spain -- pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America. […] “I will meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us cooperatively," according to one translation. The reporter repeated the question two more times, apparently trying to clarify, but McCain referred again to Latin America. […] Finally, the questioner said, “Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?” The Senator offered only a slight variance to his initial comment. “I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do: human rights, democracy, and liberty. And I will confront those that don't [have them].”

Ooooookayyyy… you’re asked about a NATO ally, and respond with this strange answer about America's friends and enemies before proceeding on and talking about Mexico.

The reporter reminded McCain at least twice that she was talking about Spain and the Spanish Prime Minister, and yet McCain stayed on Mexico while rambling on about America's enemies.

Today McCain’s foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann was hastily trying to defend his boss’s beleaguering answer by writing a letter to the Washington Post in which Scheunemann claims McCain did know who Zapatero was and was simply stating his refusal to commit to “a White House meeting with President Zapatero.”

Well… first of all, Zapatero is Spain’s Prime Minister and not its President… second of all, given our treaty-bound obligations under NATO, we kinda have to meet with him. So the excuse for the bizarre answer still doesn’t hold water.

We can either focus on the fact that McCain either had another senior moment or simply doesn’t know that Spain is in Europe, and NOT South America… which is horrifying enough.

Or we can focus on how the McCain campaign’s (so-called) foreign policy expert doesn’t know what position Mr. Zapatero holds… again, horrifying enough.

Or we can point out that this is yet another flip-flop from the master, as McCain said he’d be happy to meet with Zapatero five months ago.

My vote would be for all of the above… how about yours?

If McCain actually DID know what he was doing (and really, what are the chances of THAT), and was declaring his refusal to meet with Spain’s leaders, one has to wonder why.

Well… it can be summed up with four words; Bush. Iraq. Troop withdraw.

Remember, shortly after his party came into power in March, 2004 – days after being attacked by al Qaeda - Zapatero kept his primary campaign promise and withdrew Spain’s troops from Iraq.

This apparently pissed off “President” Bush.

Consider this from the LA Times, via ThinkProgress;

Zapatero’s first action was to make good on a long-standing campaign promise to remove Spanish troops from Iraq, to the overwhelming approval of Spaniards but the great irritation of Bush. […] Eighteen months later, there has still been no one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, and rhetoric has been harsh. It got so bad at one point that Bush refused to take Zapatero’s phone call of congratulations last year after the president won reelection.

So it seems very likely that McCain's bewildering response as to whether or not he would meet with Zapatero may indicate that he either too old and confused to be given the ‘key’ to our country, or he is interested in making Bush's grudge against Spain permanent U.S. policy.

Explain to me how a McCain presidency would NOT be a continuance of a Bush presidency? ‘Cuz I don’t think McBush got that message.

Regardless of the answer, we cannot have him in charge for the next 4 years.

The Weekly Rewind

Greetings loyal readers. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that we are coming up on two more important primaries this Tuesday. So instead of beating you over the head with anything primary related, lets take a look at some of the other news items you may have missed. Here is a little piece we like to call The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to stirring up the rhetoric to justify another ‘war’. U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Baghdad “have been targeted with 251 improvised bombs this month — nearly double the monthly average — as fighting in and around Sadr City intensified.” U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Milano said that “some of the attacks involved deadly armor-piercing bombs that the U.S. military has linked to Iran.” Here is an idea, stick to the facts and the truth. If Iran is involved, obtain solid prrof and then we can deal with it. Otherwise stop twisting our troop casualties to fit your warped views.

Heckle: to running unrestrained. With Americans facing record levels of credit card debt, financial institutions have sharply raised rates for credit card customers — even those who pay on time — as they grapple with losses from other bad consumer loans. Banks are also imposing higher fees for late payments and ATM withdrawals to boost profits. Leave it to the financial sector to once again find ways to screw the American public for their own greed. The economy is in bad shape and the faster everyone acknowledges that and pays heed, the better off we will be when the inevitable happens.

Heckle: to another area of the financial sector screwing us. As the Federal Reserve completes work on rules to root out abuses by mortgage lenders, the mortgage industry has begun an intensive campaign to fight back. The industry’s criticism has already prompted the Fed to consider narrowing the scope of the plan so it applies to fewer loans. Once again, the administration shows it’s contempt for the average American, in favor of big business. Does anyone truly think that a McCain administration would be any different?

Heckle: to your own words biting you in the ass. Three years before Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was arguing for a 100 year presence in Iraq, he told MSNBC, “I would hope that we could bring them all home.” “I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” McCain said. “[A]s soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.” Excuse me Senator, would you like a swimsuit to go with those flip-flops?

Heckle: to the continuing erosion of the American dream. “Home foreclosure filings jumped 23 percent in the first quarter…and more than doubled from a year a earlier,” according to new RealtyTrac data. “One of every 194 households received a notice of default, auction sale or bank repossession between January and March, for the seventh straight quarter of rising foreclosure activity.” But remember, we are only in an economic slowdown….

Applaud: to another reason we respect him. In remarks made in Kansas City, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that “the military was being stretched and a lot was being asked of the all-volunteer force at a time when the entire country isn’t committed to war,” the AP reports. “I think it would be hard to respond to another crisis if it was like these two,” Powell said. Thank you Mr. Secretary for saying what more people with influence need to say.

Applaud: to putting the info out for all to see. A report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq predicts that “Iraq’s oil revenue will top a record $70 billion this year, adding fuel to a congressional push to force the Iraqi government to assume more responsibility for rebuilding the country.” “The cost of a barrel of Iraqi oil has increased by 250% since 2003.” You know I wish I would have thought of this before….oh wait a minute I did. Let’s stop footing the bill and keep some of our tax dollars back here in this country where they are needed.

Applaud: to taking some of the wind out of the sails of a litigious society. The Supreme Court’s recent rulings upholding Indiana’s voter ID law and Kentucky’s use of lethal injections exemplify a shift in the court’s approach to deciding constitutional questions. By rejecting broad legal challenges, the court is sending the message that legal advocates need to “produce evidence that a law has actually violated someone’s rights” rather than asserting that rights could be violated. Maybe now we can stop making laws to ‘protect the stupid’ just because they ‘might’ do something dumb….stupid should hurt.

Heckle: to a possible employment related ‘ponzi’ scheme. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Federal, state and local governments are hiring new workers at the fastest pace in six years, helping offset job losses in the private sector,” adding “76,800 jobs in the first three months of 2008.” By contrast, “private companies collectively shed 286,000 workers in the first three months of 2008″ leading “many economists to declare the country is in a recession.” Do we really need that many more people on the government payrolls? Hmmmm, could it be that the administration is actively working to ‘artificially’ lower the unemployment rate? Something to think about..

Heckle: to saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Though he’s promised to not raise taxes, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign acknowledged yesterday “that the health plan he outlined this week would” effectively increase tax payments for some workers, primarily those with high incomes and expensive health plans.” The campaign will not yet say “how many taxpayers might see their taxes go up.” I am sure they are hoping this will go away quietly.

Heckle: to a steaming pile. This week marked the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” moment aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. Editor and Publisher takes a look at the back at the media coverage on May 1, 2003, when reporters rushed to report that the Bush administration was “planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months.” And now that the American people are asking why we are still there fighting after 5 years the WH is trying to say that the banner was only meant for the troops on the ship…..Bull**it….sorry I had to cough.

Heckle: to another indicator of a faltering economy. Auto loan delinquency in the United States “hit a 17-year high in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the American Bankers Association. Some 3.13 percent of car loans were “overdue 30 days or more.” Edmunds.com, which provides automotive information, estimates that nearly a fourth of borrowers are ‘upside down‘ in their car loans, meaning the car is worth less than the loan balance. Sounds very similar to…..anyone…..yes that’s right, the real estate market. Watch, the next story will be about the large increase in the number of automobile repossessions. Which also sounds very similar to …..anyone….yes, that’s right the real estate market. But remember, we are only in an economic slowdown…

And Finally, at his final White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, President Bush poked fun at his potential successors. Explaining why none had attended the dinner, the ‘President’ said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “probably wanted to distance himself from me,” adding that “Hillary Clinton couldn’t get in because of sniper fire and Senator Obama’s at church.” Sorry, I think they all wanted to distance themselves from you. Kind of like Southern Methodist University does by voting to prevent your future Presidential Library from being built on their campus. Wow, when the Methodists don’t want to have anything to do with you….

That’s it folks.

Be good, stay informed….later.

"What I meant to say was..."

Sen. McCain proved in recent days that he is, at times, a bit loopy.

During an interview on Bloomberg TV last Friday McCain not only tried desperately to distance himself from Bush, he also tried to show empathy towards middle-class Americans who are struggling financially. Said McCain; “I respect the views of people who basically think that the status quo is satisfactory today. I don’t. I think Americans are hurting, and hurting badly. In fact, I think Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago, when you look at what’s happened to middle-income Americans.”

Rewind to last Thursday, one day before, and during another interview on Bloomberg TV, McCain inferred that there had been “great progress economically” since Bush took office.

So let me see if I understand this properly; Americans are “hurting badly” with all this “great progress” that is all “psychological” in nature…

Huh?

I understand that McCain is simply trying to stick just close enough to Bush in an attempt to garner some votes from the neoconservative party base while keeping enough of a distance so he doesn’t risk alienating the ever-growing number of Americans who are whole-heartedly sick and tired of George W. Bush and recognize that the country desperately needs change.

In other words he’s trying to be McCain while also being McBush.