McCain: I Could No More Drill In ANWR Than I Could Drill In My White Grandmother

Or the Grand Canyon.

DPUD finds McCain's federalism evasion on California and Florida drilling pretty unconvincing, too.

I note that McCain offered conservatives a promise -- seal the borders first -- which seems open to interpretation and revision.

But he's standing firm on his promise to liberals about ANWR, despite $4.00+ gas (and rising).

And as regards the latter -- a flip-flop is easy to justify. McCain's ANWR pledge was made when gas was dirt cheap at a mere $2+ a galllon. What wonderful days. We didn't know how good we had it.

Now gas will likely pass $5 a gallon before this season is through and possibly top $6 by the election. Whatever benefits there are to keeping a desolate wasteland of frozen mud "pristine," there are costs associated with that too, and as the costs rise, the benefits of a policy change.

I have some small hope here, as McCain is willing to toss principle aside when he feels threatened, when he feels as if he might lose. His vaunted disdain for personal and misleading attacks dissipated pretty quickly when Mitt Romney challenged him.

So it's possible the man's great vanity might yield on this crucial policy point as Obama starts to whoop him.

Of course, by then, it could all be more or less over.

posted by Ace at 02:57 PM

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