A while ago, I wrote on one of the blogs that the test of whether Sen. John McCain is really as different as the media wish is true all their heart or is just another pol would be if he changed his position on ethanol in order to win the Iowa Caucus.
I think the answer is becoming clear.
Here’s McCain’s old position –
McCain Also Voted Against Ethanol in 2004, and 2003. In 2004, John McCain voted against an amendment to Senate Bill S 150 to promote ethanol, declaring that ethanol was “a product that we have created a market for which has absolutely, under no circumstances, any value whatsoever except to corn producers and Archer Daniels Midland and other large agribusinesses.” In 2003, John McCain voted to block a final vote to an “energy bill coveted by Iowa farm interests” that “would double use of corn-based ethanol.” [S 150; Aberdeen American News, 5/2/04, S. Res. 150, 4/29/04, Roll Call #74; Des Moines Register, 11/22/03; H.R. 6, 11/21/03, Roll Call #456]
Here’s McCain’s new position –
McCain has worked to deflect criticism of his opposition to subsidies for ethanol, an important issue in corn-growing Iowa.
"My position on ethanol is support for ethanol when oil went over $40 a barrel," he said. He said soaring gasoline prices make ethanol competitive in the marketplace.
"I do not support subsidies, but I support ethanol and I think it is a vital alternative energy source, not only because of our dependence on foreign oil but because of its greenhouse reduction effects," he said.