From the AP comes this story of Straight-Talk McMaverick flip-flopping on the issue of raising payroll taxes. The story quotes McCain thusly:
At a July 7 town-hall meeting in Denver, he said voters faced a stark choice between him and Democrat Barack Obama.
"Sen. Obama will raise your taxes," McCain said. "I won't."
Two days later, though, McCain began backpeddling.
(backpeddle beyond flip)
Speaking with reporters on his campaign bus on July 9, he cited a need to shore up Social Security. "I cannot tell you what I would do, except to put everything on the table," he said.
Back on March 16, of course, chatting with Sean Hannity on the Elephant News Network, McCain swore there would be no tax increases while he was president.
"Do you mean none?" Hannity asked.
"None," McCain replied.
And on June 13, McCain's top economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, told reporters that as president McCain would not consider a payroll tax increase "under any imagineable circumstance."
But two days ago, on ABC's This Week, McCain said, "There is nothing that's off the table. I have my positions, and I'll articulate them. But nothing's off the table," McCain said. "I don't want tax increases. But that doesn't mean that anything is off the table."
Needless to say, the anti-tax loonies at the
Club for Growth were aghast. They sent the Son of Cain a letter saying they found his comment "shocking because you have been adamant in your opposition to raising taxes under any circumstances."
So, what will be the media response? Will it be stunned amazement that Senator Straight Talk has flip-flopped? Or will there be a scandal involving Barack Obama ordering a cheese omelet for breakfast?