Josselyn11:03AMJun 20th 2008

omg - HRC's lapdog, Halperin, with another loaded question for AOL's McCainiacs. Read through all of these flip-flops by McCain then tell me if Obama can live up to this supposed stellar standard of integrity:

"The past couple of weeks have been especially difficult when it comes to McCain flip-flops.

* McCain supported the drilling moratorium; now he’s against it.

* McCain strongly opposes a windfall-tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

* McCain thought Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

* McCain defended “privatizing” Social Security. Now he says he’s against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

Wait, I’m not done with the last two weeks yet….

* McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn’t.

* McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

* He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”

* McCain said he would “not impose a litmus test on any nominee.” He used to promise the opposite.

And these come after these other reversals from April and May:

* McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

* McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain supported moving “towards normalization of relations” with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

* He argued the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party’s policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn’t.

* He wanted political support from radical televangelists like John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Now he doesn’t.

* McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn’t.

And these are the flip-flops I’ve noticed earlier:

* McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a “‘read my lips’ candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?” referring to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 pledge. “No new taxes,” McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, “I’m not making a ‘read my lips’ statement, in that I will not raise taxes.”

* McCain is both for and against a “rogue state rollback” as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

* McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.

* In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won’t commit to supporting a regulation bill he’s co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris’ former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.

* McCain has changed his economic worldview on multiple occasions.

* McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions.

* McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

* McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off than they were before Bush took office.

* McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

* McCain believes his endorsement from radical televangelist John Hagee was both a good and bad idea.

* McCain’s first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn’t be “rewarded” for acting “irresponsibly.” His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.

* McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal.

* In February 2008, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

* McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

* McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. Now he’s against it.

* On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own legislation.

* In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.

* McCain said before the war in Iraq, “We 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.”

* McCain said he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as “a mission accomplished.” In March 2004, he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” In December 2005, he said, “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”

* McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

* McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.

* McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.

* McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

* On a related note, he said 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and insisted he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.

* In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

* McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.

* McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

* McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

* McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

* McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he “would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

Confronted with the inconsistencies in McCain’s record in March, the senator’s aides told the New York Times that the senator “has evolved rather than switched positions in his 25-year career.” That’s a perfectly sensible spin — when a politician holds one position, and then, for apparently political reasons, decides to embrace the polar opposite position, it’s only natural for his or her aides to say the politician’s position has “evolved.”

But in McCain’s case, the spin is wholly unfulfilling. First, McCain sells himself as a pol who never sways with the wind, and whose willingness to be consistent in the face of pressure is proof of his character. Second, Republicans have spent the last four years or so making policy reversals the single most serious political crime in presidential politics. The dreaded “flip-flop” is, according to the GOP, the latest cardinal sin for someone seeking national office.

And if we’re playing by Republican rules, McCain’s “evolutions” should be a fairly serious problem. I’m beginning to think they might be."

JT4UA11:06AMJun 20th 2008

You folks can be so forgetful and have such short memories. Show me ONE, JUST ONE, honest Republican. Start with Nixon and keep going... Good luck.

coolpharmer11:23AMJun 20th 2008

....our next president!

Jerrylton11:25AMJun 20th 2008

I wouldnn't believe a word Obama says. I am anothe Democrat for McCain

Bill11:25AMJun 20th 2008

Anyone.....anyone who would say that McCain is more honest than O'Bama needs their heads examined. WHY WOULD JOHN MCCAIN HIDE "PARTS" OF HIS NAVY RECORD? HOW MANY MISTAKES DID HE MAKE AS A NAVY PILOT AS IN DESTROYING SEVERAL PLANES? And you self-righteous, bigots call this honesty???????

socal4patrick11:25AMJun 20th 2008

No public financing for Obama as promised. Here comes the Soros money ! This is the most despicable thing I've heard since "I never had sex with....", well you know.

Bill11:27AMJun 20th 2008

Jerrylton.......if you are a Democrat, then I'm the queen of England! Think about what you are doing. Think of the Supreme Court if nothing else!!!!

doug risch11:27AMJun 20th 2008

Obama is all talk and no experience. As those who
state he's a very clever "snake oil salesman" and
a naive American public is buying it especially
the young and gullible. His wife is a very
angry black who is totally unfit for the position
of "First Lady"...it's almost incomprehensible to
think of her as that. 20 years in a heavily racist
church and for convenience sake he decides to leave.
Come on America...wake up to Mr. Rhetoric...is this
what you really want "leading" this country? McCain
is not another Bush but sadly with all the damage
the "chimp" has done it will be extremely difficult
for him to capture this election. God help us
literally.

This11:27AMJun 20th 2008

Josselyn, get a life!

naovel11:27AMJun 20th 2008

There's more than meets the eye on Obama. There's too many unanswered questions on him and his wife. I will vote for McCain with his experience. People thinking that Obama is the answer to change, still doesn't know what change is in store with him as president. He hasn't been truthful with the public.

Jan11:28AMJun 20th 2008

How can you people put the word "honesty" in the same sentence as McCain! He's a hot headed, do-it my way or take the highway, kind of guy. Kind of like what we've already got...

Annonymous11:28AMJun 20th 2008

I believe Obama is less honest then McCain. I say this because.
A.) He didn't give his medical records until AFTER John McCain. Why didn't he just give up his records first (if he didn't have anything to hide?)
B.) Never wore the america flag pin in the beginning. An true (HONEST) American running for president would always wear a pin to show how much he cares for the country...

Anyhow. I think john McCain has a better chance of winning the election because who he is. I believe he is trust worthy and honest. Age has nothing to do about it other then to show that he has more experiance then someone younger like Obama.
But what ever comes of the election... Let the better man win.

sandy tarr11:29AMJun 20th 2008

Perfect question for the IGNORANT AOL RACIST POPULATION. They come right out of the movie Deliverence " squeal like a pig"

For normal people check out www.realclearpolitics.com to see reliable polls:
Quiniac, Gallup, Zogup where people only get to vote ONE TIME. Obama leads in all catagories and most States as well as favorables

coolpharmer11:30AMJun 20th 2008

Heading McCain's Veep search is Arthur Culverhouse who lobbied for Lockheed Martin in 1999 and Fannie Mae in 2005.

Last month, documents were submitted to the Senate records office stating that Culverhouse no longer lobbies for the Civil Justice Reform Group, which is lobbying Congress to pass laws to afford corporations greater protection against personal injury cases.

A real scumbag.

Dick11:30AMJun 20th 2008

Why the hell should we elect Barack HUSSEIN Obama as President?

Why elect someone for President of the great United States of America who is/was:

1. Not born in the United States of America
2. Was schooled in the Moslem culture
3. Was raised in a Moslem country
4. Whose father was a Moslem supporter
5. Was later preached to for over 20 years by a minister who hates America
6. Who has very little experience in the operation of the U.S Government
7. Who is a rich elitist, with friends known for illegal activity
8. Who is married to a rich elitist woman
9. Who married a woman that has said after 44 years is now proud to be American
10. Who will not acknowledge the U.S Flag with hand over heart
11. Will not wear a U.S. flag pin on his clothing
12. Whose knowledge of international law and diplomacy is nil

Obama might just as well select Bin Laden as his V.P. running mate!

Jim11:31AMJun 20th 2008

I can't believe I just saw the name "Obama" in the same sentence as the word "honest". The man doesn't know the meaning of the word.
I believe Obama would say absolutely anything or do absolutely anything to be elected.
McCain is a true patriot, is as honest as they come. And he will serve this country well if elected I'm sure.

congleton11:32AMJun 20th 2008

"And if we’re playing by Republican rules, McCain’s “evolutions” should be a fairly serious problem. I’m beginning to think they might be"
____________________________________

At least McCain has a record to examine! We no NOTHING about Obama. Except that he sat in the pew of an unbelievably racist church for over 20 years! These folks HATE white people, and they Don't deny it! Now why would anyone that's not a racist vote for him?

BeSane11:33AMJun 20th 2008

Something for the Obamabots to "think" about:

OBAMA – LIAR, LIAR:

1.) Selma Got Me Born - LIAR, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your
birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google 'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various
untruths.)
2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - LIAR, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the
Kenyan Government.
3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - LIAR, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments
Kenya has ever had.
4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - LIAR, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence
in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades.
The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law.
Your half-brother, Abongo Obama, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to
speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/080115/issues.html?.v=1
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga
lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in
a Christian church where they took shelter. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here
started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - LIAR, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to
her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.
6.) My Name is African Swahili - LIAR, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means
'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first
black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25%
African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family
was mainly Arabs. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's
birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to.....
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25_
African
7.) I Never Practiced Islam - LIAR, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and
kept that faith for 31 years,until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article "Obama was 'quite religious in islam'" http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559
8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - LIAR, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in
Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008.
Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago:
Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-
rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart
attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at
sunset."
This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says "Obama's narrative is
being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts."
9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - LIAR, not one teacher says you could speak the language.
10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - LIAR, you were there from the ages of 6
to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.
11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - LIAR, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise),
you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.
12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - LIAR, you were quite content in high school to be Barry
Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.
13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - LIAR, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your
book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.
14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - LIAR, Life has yet to find the article you mention in
your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.
15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - LIAR, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not
have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.
16.) Present Votes Are Common In Illinois - LIAR, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO
VOTES.
17.) Oops, I Misvoted - LIAR, only when caught by church groups and democrats, did you beg to change your
misvote.
18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - LIAR, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - LIAR, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - LIAR, you didn't write it,introduce it, change it, or create it.
21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - LIAR, it took just 14 days from start to finish.
22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - LIAR, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of
all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear Donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.
23.) I Have Released My State Records - LIAR, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have
yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.
24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - LIAR, you were part of a large group of people who
remedied Altgeld Gardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.
25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - LIAR, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal
which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.
26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - LIAR, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action
on your part.
27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - LIAR, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after
their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.
28.) No One Contacted Canada About NAFTA - LIAR, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo
of the conversation your campaign had with them.
29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - LIAR, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend
Ali Abunimah supports the destruction of Israel.
30.) I Am Not Acting As President Yet - LIAR, after the NAFTA Memo, a dead terrorist in the FARC, in Colombia,
was found with a letter stating how you and he were working together on getting FARC recognized officially.
31.) I Didn't Run Ads In Florida - LIAR, you allowed national ads to run 8-12 times per day for two weeks - and you
still lost.
32.) I Won Michigan - LIAR, no you didn't.
33.) I won Nevada - LIAR, no you did not.
34.) I Want All Votes To Count - LIAR, you said let the delegates decide.
35.) I Want Americans To Decide - LIAR, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a
public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.
36.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - LIAR, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.
37.) My Campaign Was Extorted By A Friend - LIAR, that friend is threatening to sue if you do not stop saying
this. Obama has stopped saying this.
38.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - LIAR, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.
39.) I Don't Take PAC Money - LIAR, you take loads of it.
40.) I don't Have Lobbyists - LIAR, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.
41.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - LIAR, your own campaign worker made the ad on his
Apple in one afternoon.
42.) My Campaign Never Took Over MySpace - LIAR, Tom, who started MySpace issued a warning about this
advertising to MySpace clients.
43.) I Inspire People With My Words - LIAR, you inspire people with other people's words.
44.) I Have Passed Bills In The U.S. Senate - LIAR, you have passed A BILL in the U.S. Senate - for Africa,
which shows YOUR priorities.
45.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - LIAR, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund
it every single time, unlike Kucinich, who seems to be out gutting you Obama. You also seem to be stepping back
from your departure date - AGAIN.
46.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - LIAR, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who
don't have to buy it.

congleton11:33AMJun 20th 2008

"You folks can be so forgetful and have such short memories. Show me ONE, JUST ONE, honest Republican. Start with Nixon and keep going."

______________________________
What are talking about, they are politicians! Show me one honest Democrat in the last twenty years. Remember your party is the party of wondering what "the definition of is, is" Clinton lied under oath for god sake! And don't give me this "it's only about sex", if that's the case ALL sexual harassment case should be thrown out and the laws changed!

coolpharmer11:34AMJun 20th 2008

"I have witnessed incidents where he (McCain) has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues," said former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. "He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We''ve all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I've never seen anyone act like that."

Fits of anger over the Mount Graham red squirrel, which has gotten in the way of McCain's pet projects in AZ, seem to be McCain's achilles heel. Robin Silver and Bob Witzeman, both medical doctors, met with McCain at his Phoenix office to discuss the endangered squirrel. At the mere mention of the issue, McCain erupted..."He slammed his fists on his desk, scattering papers across the room," Silver said. "He jumped up and down, screaming obscenities at us for at least 10 minutes. He shook his fists as if he was going to slug us." ....McCain and Huckabee would be a fit. McCain kills the squirrels, Huckabee frys 'em.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/arti
cles/2006/7/5/00548.shtml