From MSNBC First Read:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
In his latest effort to "build bridges" with the conservative wing of the GOP in advance of another presidential run, Sen. John McCain is heading to Lynchburg, VA tomorrow to give the commencement speech at Liberty University, which is headed by a leading conservative whom McCain once called "evil," Jerry Falwell. To review, here are other examples of how the GOP's maverick may be starting to, well, conform:
Bush tax cuts
Then: "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us," McCain said in 2001.
Now: "American businesses and investors need a stable and predictable tax policy to continue contributing to the growth of our economy. These considerations lead me to the conclusion that we should not reverse course by letting the higher tax rates take effect," McCain said in a statement after voting for the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act to extend the Bush tax cuts.
There's more....
From MSNBC First Read:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
In his latest effort to "build bridges" with the conservative wing of the GOP in advance of another presidential run, Sen. John McCain is heading to Lynchburg, VA tomorrow to give the commencement speech at Liberty University, which is headed by a leading conservative whom McCain once called "evil," Jerry Falwell. To review, here are other examples of how the GOP's maverick may be starting to, well, conform:
Bush tax cuts
Then: "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us," McCain said in 2001.
Now: "American businesses and investors need a stable and predictable tax policy to continue contributing to the growth of our economy. These considerations lead me to the conclusion that we should not reverse course by letting the higher tax rates take effect," McCain said in a statement after voting for the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act to extend the Bush tax cuts.
Falwell
Then: In a speech during the 2000 presidential campaign, McCain said, "Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right." Afterward, McCain refused to retract his statement. "It was carefully crafted. It was carefully thought out," he said.
Now: On Meet the Press last month, when asked by Tim Russert if he still feels that way, McCain answered, "No, I don't."
Abortion
Then: "I'd love to see a point where Roe v. Wade is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations," McCain told the AP in 1999.
Now: A McCain spokesperson told The Hotline in February that McCain would have signed legislation banning abortions in South Dakota, "but would also take the appropriate steps under state law -- in whatever state -- to ensure that the exceptions of rape, incest or life of the mother were included."
Gay issues
Then: Addressing the Log Cabin Republicans in 1999, McCain said, "I am unashamed, unembarrassed and proud to work with you. [There is] no room for discrimination in the party of Lincoln."
Now: In 2004, McCain said that the "institution of marriage should be reserved for the union of a man and a woman," and on Meet the Press last month said that he is sponsoring a bill to define marriage in those terms. "In my state of Arizona, we have a ballot initiative on this issue, which I am supporting. And so -- but if the courts, if the, if through the court process, they say that that's not constitutional, then I would support a constitutional amendment."
Intelligent design
Then: In 1999, McCain said he thought schools should decide whether intelligent design should be taught in science classes.
Now: Last summer, McCain told the Arizona Daily Star he thought "all points of view" should be taught in school, and in December, he told NPR that "young people have a right to be told" about intelligent design. "'It's a theory, just like evolution is a theory ... (even though) it may not be as plausible."