On Capital Hill

If John McCain doesn’t stop changing his position on the issues, he threatens to make John Kerry look like an amateur.

In order for McCain to win in November, he has to appeal to both the traditional Republican base and to independents. Dana Milbank in the Washington Post says it’s a delicate dance, and if McCain’s not careful “he’s liable to break a hip.” Of course any doctor will tell you a broken hip can be very difficult to recover from.

On Iraq, the economy, guns and God, McCain is to the right. On immigration, campaign finance reform and global warming, he’s to the left. It’s all very reminiscent of John Kerry back in 2004.

McCain went after Barack Obama yesterday, for proposing a windfall profits tax on oil companies. A month ago McCain said he was willing to consider a windfall tax on the oil companies.

What about offshore drilling? During his last presidential run, McCain was against it. Now he’s for it, saying the states should decide if they want to drill for oil off the coast. This could cost him big time in states like California and Florida which are extremely environmentally conscious.

Then there are the Bush tax cuts. McCain was against them – twice – but now he’s for them.

McCain has also called for the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay to be closed down and torture banned. But last week he criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling that detainees there should have access to U.S. courts – calling it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”

Here’s my question to you: How clear is it where John McCain stands on the issues?

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