With the help of fellow Greenwald devotee Jim Montague, we have put together a list of flip-flops to honor the Undisputed US Champion of Flip-Flopping, John S. McCain. This stubborn veteran has become so skilled at this most dangerous endeavor that he only took an amazing eleven minutes for one flip and 41 minutes for another. Few living champions can do a minutes later flip-flop in a one-on-one interview and then repeat that feat in a debate. HIs flopping is something to behold.
To top it off this champion has just found a potential replacement who has shown remarkable similar skills since joining his team. I will do another post later to show off this awesome potential. She also has a chance to surpass her mentor McCain in boldly and repeatedly telling the same lie even though those intrepid national media have exposed the lie over and over.
It takes exceptional work to be the champion in a party that devotes so much time and energy into developing creative new ways of flip-flopping. Just think what the world would have missed if he had chosen the DemocraticParty when he entered political world. Unquestionably, he would not have attained this world renown achievement.
Feel free to add to this list so that we can suitably honor this warrior for his courage and devotion to duty as the all time champion. And if you really want to give this aging champion his just due, send this list to your email friends, so the blogging world can learn of his amazing act.
1. In interview with Tim Russert, said gay marriage ceremonies should be allowed; then eleven minutes later said, “I do not believe gay marriages should be legal.”
2. In TV debate said the American people don’t believe us because of our failure in Iraq; then in the same debate condemned Ron Paul for saying we failed in Iraq.
3. Fought to have abortion exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother included in Republican platform; caved after securing nomination in 2008.
4. One year after Obama said we needed more troops in Afghanistan, he flipped and agreed.
5. One month after we killed an al-Qaeda leader with an air attack in Pakistan; he attacked Obama’s plan to go after al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
6. Made a 2008 pledge to set national auto emissions standards and a month later told automakers it was up to the states to do that.
7. Said in 2008, “…the confederate flag is a symbol of racism and slavery”; three days later said, “Personally I see the flag as a symbol of heritage.”
8. Until 2008, said we have to talk to the Castros and normalize relations, then derided Obama for wanting to talk to Castro and that we must continue the embargo.
9. Into 2005, said don’t repeal the Estate tax, then told Whoopi Goldberg that he wanted it abolished.
10. Told NAACP this year that the worst education problems are found in black communities; didn’t tell them he has voted against Head Start programs and Title 1 Education and Pell Grants.
11. Long maintained that English should not be the official language of the US; in a national TV primary debate said it was fine.
12. Maintained that ethanol does nothing to: reduce fuel consumption, increase our energy independence, improve air quality; in Iowa primary said he supported ethanol.
13. Demanded that grassroots organizations provide their fundraising lists, told conservative activists that he would vote to strip that key provision on grass roots lobbying.
14. Actively opposed and missed vote on the 21st Century GI bill; shortly after it was approved, praised it’s passage to a Town Hall meeting.
15. Worked many years to develop a comprehensive immigration reform bill; in 2008, took a hard line on immigration, never once mentioning it as a path to citizenship or the economic importance of immigrants.
16. Urged to swiftly resolve the status of Guantanamo detainees who have the right to not to be detained indefinitely; after the Supreme Court ruled detainees have the right to challenge their detention in civilian courts, said it was the worst decision in the history of this country.
17. In July 2008, adamantly maintained no hasty troop withdrawals from Iraq; that same month a surrogate said he just might withdraw from Iraq sooner than Obama’s 16-month deadline.
18. Said Rev. Jerry Falwell, was an "agent of intolerance" in American politics; a few months later made plans to speak at Falwell's Liberty University.
19. Said it was OK for us to be in Iraq for 50-100 years; then in June 2008, copied Obama’s position for an end date of 2013.
20. In 2006 said, sooner or later we have to deal with Hamas; in 2008, charged Obama wants to talk to and won’t stand up to terrorist groups like Hamas.
21. After the invasion of Iraq, supported Secretary of State Colin Powell meeting with terrorist state Syria’s president; in 2008, attacked Obama for wanting to talk to Syrian and Iranian leaders.
22. Fervent backer of Yucca Mountain as a suitable nuclear waste storage site; told Nevadans in 2008, he wanted an international repository for spent nuclear fuel.
23. In May 2008, was against coastal oil drilling, then a month later, said he was abandoning his long-time support for a federal moratorium.
24. Accepted endorsement of controversial Rapture believer Rev. John Hagee's; several months later renounced endorsement, but did not return campaign donations.
25. Supported President Bush’s privatizing of Social Security; then on June 13th, in Ohio, tried to deny he was ever in favor of it.
26. Voted against divestment policy during reign of racist South Africa regime; in June 2008 speech, praised the success of the divestment policy and proposed a similar policy toward Iran.
27. Opposed President Bush's tax cuts because they favored the wealthy and said there should be no tax cuts until the Iraq war costs were known; now he says he will cut taxes for everyone.
28. Said he believed in evolution and that creationism probably shouldn’t be taught in a science class; one year later said it probably should be taught because there are enough scientists that believe in it.
29. Strongly condemned torture and said it provided poor, if any, intelligence; then, interrupted his campaign in February to come back to the Senate to vote against the Intelligence Authorization Act that would have taken away "enhanced interrogation techniques" (that were used on him in Nam!!) from the CIA and when the bill passed, he then encouraged Bush to veto it, which he did.30. Said that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and illegal eavesdropping on Americans should not be allowed; then supported the FISA modernization bill passed by the Senate without qualification that provided retroactive immunity to law breaking telecoms.
31. In May, said he would support a windfall profits tax; then one month later talking to oil workers, attacked Obama's energy program, including a proposal for a windfall profits tax.
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Comments
I wish this was out there on every OpEd page.
Also, I am just wondering if your list loses some of its force when it includes flip-flops that result from McCain saying one thing, and then a "surrogate" saying another. It could be okay, but it's not as potent as McCain plainly contradicting himself in his own words.
On number 29, the second half could be that he interrupted his campaign in February to come back to the Senate to vote against the Intelligence Authorization Act that would have taken away "enhanced interrogation techniques" (that were used on him in NVM!!) from the CIA. When the bill passed, he then encouraged Bush to veto it, which he did.
I have a formatting suggestion. Long blocks of italicized type is difficult to read. You might want to change the order--make the list TNR, and make your untro italics.
Thanks. I implemented your suggestions. I'm open to any suggestions or additions.
My favorite still is McCain's long-time virulent opposition to observing MLK day in Arizona (I was in Phoenix then). He was AGAINST it for years (MLK day was first observed in the rest of the nation from 1983, I believe) till it came to 1995 and the NFL threatening to take Super Bowl XXX away from Tempe and then, mirabile dictu, he was FOR it.
WOOF.
I found this info that says he changed in 1990, so the Super Bowl won’t work unless he flipped again after 1990. I’ll have to check further.
As a young congressman in 1983 voted against a federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. even though Reps. Dick Cheney, R-Wyoming, and Newt Gingrich, R-Georgia, voted for the holiday and in January 1987, supported the decision of new Republican governor Evan Mecham, who rescinded the executive order by his predecessor to create an MLK holiday; then In 1990, successfully appealed to former President Ronald Reagan to support the holiday.
On second thought, could you check that for me.
Apparently dog ate the rest of my previous post : doesn't like out-of-network hotlinks (just like my HMO! -- to be fair, such links could have associated problems).
So here we go again. The quickest secondary source I could find was at this abcnews blog site: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html.
I was maybe off by a couple of years, I had forgotten that the NFL had actuallyrescinded the award of Super Bowl XXVII (1992) to AZ over the issue and that SB XXX (1995) was the replacement bowl.
So even if the letter (I can find no contemporaneous source for it) McCain purportedly wrote to Reagan marks the date of his conversion, there is still seven unbroken years of voiced and voted opposition to MLK Day before he came to Jesus at the realization that what was good for the NFL was good for the country. A true patriot.
WOOF