A Mild Defense of McCain

Jon Chait and Matt Yglesias are dumping on John McCain for being a shameless flip-flopper. Which he is.

I think the comparisons to Barack Obama's relative consistency, however, are a little bit unfair, since Obama is currently winning. Right now there's not a lot of pressure on Obama to change his positions, but it's hard to say what kind of moves he'd be making if his situation was as desperate as McCain's.

Predictions - Chait - 9/18/2008

Via Matt Yglesias, Jon Chait makes the following prediction:

Anway, let me now go on the record to say that another McCain staff shake-up is, if not inevitable, very likely. McCain's staff is just too factionalized to remain stable unless McCain is consistently winning. And Schmidt is a Bush 2004 veteran who lacks the deep emotional ties to the candiate that other McCainiacs have. I predict that at some point, probably just before or just after the convention, there will be a move to "Let McCain be McCain," and new boss Steve Schmidt will be replaced with either John Weaver or Mike Murphy, to try to recreate the magic of the 2000 campaign.

Let's say that "just after the convention" could mean up to two weeks later.

Expiration Date: September 18, 2008

John McCain: Panderer

John McCain must be a pretty sensitive guy. He can only be accused of being "too liberal" so many times before his feelings get hurt. Hence this:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to improve his standing with the party's conservative voters, said Sunday the court decision that legalized abortion should be overturned.

"I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned," the Arizona senator told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states.

McCain also vowed that if elected, he would appoint judges who "strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States and do not legislate from the bench."

Sigh. He's also jumped on the Rumsfeld-was-bad bandwagon. I guess he thinks you really can please everyone.

In other news, McCain has unveiled a strong three-point platform declaring that puppies are adorable, pizza is delicious, and that NASCAR is "sweet." The man knows his audience.

(Thanks for the tip, Feministing.)