McCain: A third Bush term?
Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 9:22 AM by Domenico Montanaro
So how much like Bush is McCain? The New York Times attempts to answer that question today. "A look at Mr. McCain’s 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign positions and his major speeches over the last three months indicates that on big-ticket issues - the economy, support for continuing the Iraq war, health care - his stances are indeed similar to Mr. Bush’s brand of conservatism. Mr. McCain’s positions are nearly identical to the president’s on abortion and the types of judges he says he would appoint to the courts."
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain shows similarities to President Bush once again, this time on wiretapping. Author John Dean discusses.
More: "The disparities between the two are murkier on other issues. On immigration, Mr. McCain started out with Mr. Bush - at odds with the Republican mainstream - by favoring a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, then backed off and emphasized the border-security-first approach favored by a majority of his party. When it comes to dealing with terrorism suspects, Mr. McCain has supported imposing tighter rules than favored by the administration on the use of harsh interrogation techniques, but has consistently been with the president on limiting the legal rights of Guantánamo detainees… Mr. McCain has reversed himself on some issues - most notably, embracing the Bush tax cuts now after deriding them initially as fiscally risky and excessively skewed to the wealthy - and continues to adjust his positions on others. On Monday, he said he continued to oppose opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, leaving him at odds with the White House and most of his party, but said he favored giving states more flexibility to decide whether to explore for oil off their coasts."
Here are excerpts of the energy speech McCain will deliver in Houston today, in which he calls for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling. “Quite rightly, I believe, we confer a special status on some areas of our country that are best left undisturbed. When America set aside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we called it a ‘refuge’ for a reason. But the stakes are high for our citizens and for our economy. And with gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians. We have proven 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. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use.”
“We can do this in ways that are consistent with sensible standards of environmental protection. And in states that choose to permit exploration, there must be an appropriate sharing of benefits between federal and state governments. But as a matter of fairness to the American people, and a matter of duty for our government, we must deal with the here and now, and assure affordable fuel for America by increasing domestic production.”
McCain also goes after Obama in his speech, bringing up the Jimmy Carter comparison and hitting him for not supporting a gas-tax holiday. “So what does Sen. Obama support in energy policy? Well, for starters he supported the energy bill of 2005 -- a grab bag of corporate favors that I opposed. And now he supports new taxes on energy producers. He wants a windfall profits tax on oil, to go along with the new taxes he also plans for coal and natural gas. If the plan sounds familiar, it’s because that was President Jimmy Carter’s big idea too -- and a lot of good it did us. Now as then, all a windfall profits tax will accomplish is to increase our dependence on foreign oil, and hinder exactly the kind of domestic exploration and production we need…”
“Oddly enough, though, Senator Obama doesn’t want to lower the gas taxes paid by consumers, which would be the most direct and obvious way to give Americans a break at the gas station. Even in tough times for our economy, when folks are struggling to pay for gas and groceries, tax relief just isn’t change he can believe in.”
DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney pre-buts McCain’s speech with this statement: "The John McCain who talks on the campaign trail about promoting energy independence sounds nothing like the John McCain who has repeatedly voted against responsible efforts to promote renewable energy and is caving in to the oil and gas industry on off-shore drilling… As this campaign goes on, the voters will clearly see that a vote for Sen. McCain is a vote for four more years of the same failed Bush policies that have cost American jobs, driven energy prices through the roof, and given huge handouts to his friends in the oil and gas industry."
The Washington Post on McCain and off-shore drilling: "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… The senator's push to end the ban is sure to annoy two key Republican allies -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- both of whom oppose drilling off their states' coastlines."
