US Presidential Election Candidates

Republican candidate John McCain has done a volte-face—this time on ethanol. McCain has always made his opposition to ethanol clear. While campaigning in 1999 and 2000, his message was clear: ethanol is not worth it. During a republican debate in Iowa, a major corn growing state, he advocated doing away with subsidies for ethanol. "Ethanol subsidies should be phased out…we don’t need ethanol subsidies. It doesn’t help anybody.” In 2003, he went even further. "Ethanol is a product that would not exist if Congress didn't create an artificial market for it. No one would be willing to buy it," he said. "Yet thanks to agricultural subsidies and ethanol producer subsidies, it is now a very big business—tens of billions of dollars that have enriched a handful of corporate interests—primarily one big corporation, ADM. Ethanol does nothing to reduce fuel consumption, nothing to increase our energy independence, nothing to improve air quality."

McCain's voting record has also consistently reflected his views on the subject. In2003, McCain voted against the Energy Omnibus Bill. Later in 2005, he voted against the Environmental Effects Caused by Ethanol Amendment. He also voted against the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Then, around 2006, he changed his stance completely. Speaking, again in Iowa, he enthusiastically supported the use for ethanol. "I support ethanol, he said, "and I think it is vital, a vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects."

So far, while McCain has undoubtedly changed his tone, he has not backed it with any pledge for active support. However, the question arises, why this change of heart towards ethanol?

John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate has created for himself a dubious reputation for doublespeak. His 2008 Presidential campaign is littered with flip-flops. Here are some more, as the list continues:
 

• In 1983, McCain was against declaring a holiday to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Later he supported it.
  
  
• McCain publicly opposed Republican strategist Grover Norquist. However, subsequently he changed his position towards him.
  
  
• In 2000, McCain spoke out against businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly, both major contributors to Bush's presidential campaign. He alleged that the brothers had violated campaign finance laws. However, recently he retracted and approached them for support.
  
  
• In 2000, McCain opposed Bush for campaigning at Bob Jones University saying his doing so amounted to his endorsing the school's racist policies. “If I were there, I would condemn openly the policies of Bob Jones because I would want to make sure that everybody knew that this kind of thing is not American,” he had said. However, subsequently he reversed his stance, and was open to considering a speaking invitation from the school.
  
  
• McCain also flip flopped, splendidly, on the issue of promotion by the state of the Confederate flag.
  
  
• In 2000, McCain rubbished the utility of ethanol and was publicly against granting any subsidies in its favor. Subsequently he acknowledged it as a "vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects".
  

John McCain, the Republican candidate running for Presidentship, has gained notoriety for being a flip flopper—he has consistently changed his views and opinions on a number of issues of national interest.

One such issue, over which he has frequently changed his position on, is Iraq. There was a time when McCain spoke in favor of redeployment of troops in Iraq. While conceding that there were no 'good options,' McCain proposed withdrawing troops to the borders, and maintaining bases in Kuwait and other countries, to try to stem interference from other countries.

Then, suddenly, he retracted his stand, saying that under no scenario would troops be withdrawn, even if the escalation efforts failed. He said withdrawal of troops would be considered only when “we have the situation under control”.

McCain has also criticized Vice President Cheney's view that there have been enormous successes in Iraq. He said he "bitterly disagreed" with what he called the "failed strategy", and claimed that this had been his position over the last three years. However, this is in sharp contrast to views he had expressed earlier. Only about a year ago, in 2005, he had said in an interview, “I think the situation on the ground is going to improve. I do think that progress is being made in a lot of Iraq. Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course. If I thought we weren’t making progress, I’d be despondent."

His '9/11 campaign' seems to have ensured Rudy Giuliani's position at the top of opinion polls for the most likely Republican candidate for Presidentship in the 2008 elections. September 11 apart, Giuliani has other things going for him. His term as mayor of New York is notable for ridding the city of crime.   His '9/11 campaign' seems to have ensured Rudy Giuliani's position at the top of opinion polls for the most likely Republican candidate for Presidentship in the 2008 elections. September 11 apart, Giuliani has other things going for him. His term as mayor of New York is notable for ridding the city of crime. His hardliner approach, involving strict crackdowns on offences major and minor, saw crime rates dropping. (Whether this owed entirely to his mayorship, is debated.) While he drew criticism for being politically incorrect and aiming at ethnic groups, his supporters say he did what was necessary to control the rampant crime rates that existed in New York.

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His '9/11 campaign' seems to have ensured Rudy Giuliani's position at the top of opinion polls for the most likely Republican candidate for Presidentship in the 2008 elections. September 11 apart, Giuliani has other things going for him. His term as mayor of New York is notable for ridding the city of crime. His hardliner approach, involving strict crackdowns on offences major and minor, saw crime rates dropping. (Whether this owed entirely to his mayorship, is debated.) While he drew criticism for being politically incorrect and aiming at ethnic groups, his supporters say he did what was necessary to control the rampant crime rates that existed in New York.

Read the rest of this entry ... (152 words left)