When McCain opposes his own legislation

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Over the last year or so, when John McCain was struggling to get his presidential campaign back on track, one of his more notable challenges was reinventing himself — again.

When he got to Congress, McCain was a rather conventional conservative Republican. After his role in the Keating Five scandal, McCain took on a reform-minded persona. By 1999, he was a self-described "maverick" and moderate, who would move the GOP to the center. By 2004, McCain was back to being a conservative again. By 2007, he had positioned himself as an establishment Republican, and when that didn't work out, McCain decided he'd become some kind of hybrid of the various McCains of the recent past.

If I didn't know better, I'd say McCain has very few core values, and is willing to shift with the wind to get ahead. It's one of the reasons he's flip-flopped all over the place throughout the campaign.

This became especially clear the other night at the Republican debate in Simi Valley, when McCain was asked whether he'd vote for the immigration-reform legislation he introduced in 2006. He responded that the bill won't come to the floor of the Senate. Of course, that wasn't the question.

HOOK: I know [it won't come to the floor], but what if it did?

MCCAIN: No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the border secured first. And so to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate, it won't. […]

COOPER: So I just want to confirm. You would not vote for your bill as it originally was –

MCCAIN: My bill will not be voted on. It will not be voted on.

That's obviously quite a bit of evasion for Mr. "Straight Talk," but it got me thinking: how many McCain-sponsored bills is McCain prepared to vote against?

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/

[garya505 2]

I believe he's rethought his position on amnesty, but I think he still wants it and he doesn't want to say it. If he's elected he still might push for amnesty but he will have to compromise because any bill that rewards people for breaking the law won't fly.