The Truth will prevail, But only if we Demand it from Congress!
9-11 Inside Job and Neocons Hacked 2004
AlterNet
By Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report
Posted on August 11, 2008, Printed on August 12, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com//94664/
John McCain's efforts in opposition to the tobacco industry have
come up quite a bit lately. A McCain campaign ad unveiled last week
noted that he "has taken on big tobacco." A few days later, the
campaign released another ad, featuring Democratic praise for
McCain's work against Big Tobacco. McCain even boasted of his
efforts at Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Summit two weeks ago.
The media has bought this line completely. The AP praised McCain's
work against the tobacco industry as evidence of his independence,
and the WaPo's Jonathan Weisman offered the tobacco issue as the
best example of McCain being "an independent maverick."
McCain's claims and the media's praise hasn't made sense for quite
some time. McCain fought for years in support of legislation -- that
he co-sponsored -- that would regulate the tobacco industry and
impose a $1.10-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund programs to cut
underage smoking. Earlier this year, McCain quietly began moving
away from the bill he'd championed.
Now the McCain campaign doesn't want to talk about the senator's
bill at all.
The campaign of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen.
John McCain (Ariz.) is declining to embrace McCain's own 1998
tobacco bill, legislation that would have raised taxes to the tune
of $516 billion over 25 years.
[...]
The bill would have forced tobacco companies to pay for a host of
anti-smoking initiatives and fork over huge sums to the states in
return for settling a lawsuit by the states. Cigarette makers would
have been required to raise prices by about $1.10 per pack to come
up with the money, according to a Congressional Research Service
report from the time.
Asked repeatedly last week whether McCain still backs the bill and
if he thought it was a good idea, senior adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin
declined to answer directly ... McCain today does not support
raising taxes on cigarettes, his adviser said.
And given that the tax increase on cigarettes is a key feature of
McCain's legislation, it means McCain now opposes his own bill.
When McCain first began championing this legislation, he vowed to
"never" give up on the issue. Like most of McCain's promises, the
vow had a shelf life.
A few months ago, I started coming up with a list of bill that
McCain personally co-sponsored, but now opposes.
* He said in February that he'd vote against his own immigration
bill.
* McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even
volunteering to testify on the treaty's behalf before a Senate
committee. Now, if the treaty comes to the Senate floor, he's vowed
to vote against it.
* McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal
status to illegal immigrants' kids who graduate from high school. In
2007, to make the far-right base happy, he announced his opposition
to the bill he had taken the lead on.
* In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots
lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after
receiving "feedback" on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist
groups that he now opposes the measure he'd helped write.
Flip-flops are one thing, but these aren't just random bills that
McCain voted on -- these are bills that he personally championed --
recently.
And even that wouldn't be entirely beyond the pale, except one of
McCain's principal selling points is his alleged consistency and
willingness to take politically unpopular decisions.
We're talking about a senator taking firm stands against his own
bills. "Maverick," indeed.
AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political
endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.
Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The
Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the lead editor of
Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking
Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Crooks & Liars, The American
Prospect, and the Guardian.
© 2008 The Carpetbagger Report All rights reserved.
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