McCain challenges Romney for flip-flop supremacy

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney - son of former Michigan Governor George Romney and brother of MSU Trustee Scott Romney - is trying to brand himself as the right choice for conservative Republicans. Which is surprising, given his many flip-flops on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and taxes.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer slammed Romney in a press release as Romney prepared to declare his candidacy in Michigan:

"Today, the prodigal son returns. Throughout his entire career Mitt Romney has done nothing for Michigan, a state he abandoned decades ago. Romney is only announcing in Michigan because he is so unpopular in Massachusetts. Just like his flip-flops on abortion and gay rights, he is only coming back to Michigan because of a calculated political decision,” Brewer said. “Michigan’s voters are too smart for his cynical politics. They do not want a Bush clone on the escalation of Iraq. Michigan voters do not want a person who will support the same failed Bush policies of outsourcing and unfair trade that have severely hurt Michigan’s manufacturing jobs.”

Which isn't to say Romney isn't a genuine conservative; as Brewer said, he does support President Bush's plan to escalate the war by sending more troops to Iraq, as does John McCain.

McCain, however, appears to want to challenge Romney' flip-flop superiority:

McCain, until recently, was pushing for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors. But, after fielding protests from evangelical Christians and antiabortion activists, McCain decided last month to strip out the provision.

McCain in 2000 assailed Bush's proposed tax cuts as a sop to the rich, and a year later, with Bush in office, he voted against those cuts, declaring that "the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans." But a year ago, he switched sides and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy.

McCain in 1999 said that, "even in the long term," he would not support the repeal of Roe v. Wade because "thousands of young American women would be performing illegal and dangerous operations." But last November he said that he now favored repeal because "I don't believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade."

...

McCain in 2006 suggested that creationism was not a fit topic for the schoolroom: "I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not." But he suggested the opposite in 2005 ("all points of view should be presented"), and next Friday he is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a confab sponsored by the Discovery Institute, a prominent creationism advocacy group.

For all the GOP's talk in 2004 about the need for "unwavering leadership," Mitt Romney and John McCain sure like to waver.