Keith Olbermann caught McCain flip-flopping on taxes, again. How many times is that? And what does it say about McCain's ability to lead?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
What did McCain say on taxes and how did his campaign react? McCain went and told Stephanopoulos nothing is off the table when it comes to taxes, including raising payroll taxes. Then his own campaign said that McCain doesn't speak for the campaign on the issue.
McCain's performance here is about as competent Eddie Murphy in Bowfinger. His faux Scientology-style handlers in his campaign must have him reciting Keep It Together Keep It Together KIT KIT KIT five times every hour.
Seriously, this is more than a huge gaff. Taxes and whether we approach our collective fiscal house responsibly are one of the central issues of this campaign.
Let's take a closer look at McCain's flip flopping. First he was against the Bush tax cuts, calling them irresponsible, then he wanted to make them permanent, now he says nothing is off the table, then his campaign says he doesn't speak for the campaign on taxes, then Bush, ooops I mean McCain tells a little girl that he won't raise taxes, period, now sounding about certain as Bush I's broken promise of no new taxes read my lips.
That the McCain campaign spokesperson would tell Americans that McCain wasn't speaking for his campaign shows what a loose cannon this guy is. McCain can't even get it together on one of the defining issues of his campaign, one where he already flip flopped and can hardly afford to screw up again. If he can't KIT on a key issue, how can we trust him to make consistent, sound policy decisions instead of shooting from the hip with whatever pops into his brain at any given moment?
McCain's own campaign is disowning him now, just like the conservatives, the pastors and so many of his other supporters have raised serious questions about the man.
To put this in perspective, this far from an isolated incident, more like business as usual in fact. McCain has flip flopped or made gaffs on so many key issues.
For example, on the defining issue of his campaign, Iraq, McCain told America that Shia Iran is providing major support to their ethnic enemy, Sunni al Qaeda in Iraq. This was patently false. On his same media-infused showcase trip to Iraq, McCain confused the Shia and Sunni ethnic groups four times in the course of two days, one time after being corrected embarrassingly on camera by a whispering fellow Senator.
On the economy, arguably the single most impactful issue this campaign, McCain admitted to the Wall Street Journal that he doesn't know anything about economics, denied his admission, brought aboard as his key economic advisor a man who claimed America is a nation of whiners in a recession that is only "mental," then fired that man, only by all indications to continue to seek his advice.
Would McCain make a decent President? As starkly illustrated by this latest unfortunately typical incident against a backdrop of many others, his inability to speak in a consistent, coherent manner about key issues of great importance to American citizens casts serious doubt.