Today, John McCain said "you will always know where I stand on an issue." That would be, in baseball parlance, a "meatball". In other words, it's a big, fat juicy slow pitch hanging up there, waiting to be smacked out of the park for a home run by the opposing team's batter.
July has been a stellar month for McCain flip-flops. There was the concession that a timetable might be a good idea in Iraq, if the conditions on the ground warrant it. There was the concession that more troops are desperately needed in the battle for Afghanistan. There was the colossal-sized flip-flop on offshore drilling, reversing his consistent congressional voting record on the issue. I might add that the call for greater oil exploration also contradicts his supposed recognition of the seriousness of the global warming problem. And, lest we forget, this week provided much amusement and more cannon-fodder, when McCain's own campaign spokesman basically repudiated McCain's own comments that new taxes are not off the table in a McCain Administration.
Of course, one could reach deeper into his record, to find flip-flops on the Bush tax-cuts, abortion rights, and a host of other issues. This could get really fun. The Bushwhacker Truth Brigade website lists 61 Flip-Flops and Counting as of today for John McCain.
Where does John McCain stand on an issue? Wherever the political winds are blowing. The possibilities for responsive ads are almost limitless. Just start off with that comment by McCain, and then insert your favorite flip-flop, or give a long litany of flip-flops. If the Obama campaign is ready to on the offensive, this is the statement that will keep on giving.
**** Update **** I believe you can hear McCain's comment if you click the below link to NPR's headlines podcast on All Things Considered -- but I make no promises, since it might change. Here's the link: NPR headline-cast