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MCCAIN CALLS ROMNEY A FLIP-FLOPPER
Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 12:55 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, McCain, Romney
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- McCain held a roundtable on national security this
morning with several of his biggest supporters and surrogates. Held at
Atlantic Marine, which builds both commercial and naval vessels, the
event included two senators, a former CIA director, a FBI-agent-turned-
southern-governor, a past head of the VA Administration and a former
POW who was held in Hanoi with McCain.
For almost an hour, the panel took turns describing the threats of
terrorism in general and 'radical Islamic extremism' in particular,
with an emphasis on why McCain's experience makes him the best
candidate to handle the challenges that lie ahead. Although not
exactly an unbiased panel, the clear point was to take another step
towards shifting the debate in Florida -- home to roughly 2 million
veterans -- back towards defense and military preparedness
But McCain couldn't get away from what has become a heated back-and-
forth with Mitt Romney over the economy and the candidates' respective
conservative records. Speaking to reporters after the roundtable,
McCain responded to Romney's attacks from earlier this morning that
likened the senator to a liberal Democrat.
"One thing I think we should really give Governor Romney credit for --
he is consistent," McCain said. "He has consistently taken both sides
of any major issue. He has consistently flip-flopped on every issue...
"As the liberal governor of the state of Massachusetts, he raised
taxes by 730 million dollars, the state is now stuck with a quarter
billion dollar debt over government-mandated health system. When he
was governor, they had the third or fourth worst economy of any state
in America, and the manufacturing jobs left this country at 7%. They
left Massachusetts at 14%...As the head of his investment company, he
presided over companies that immediately laid off thousands of
workers."
McCain also defended his environmental reform legislation, co-
sponsored by Joe Lieberman, which Romney alleged would cost the
average family of four $1,000 per year on oil and natural gas.
"If he thinks that the American economy will suffer by us cleaning up
the environment, by us reducing pollution, by us embracing green
technologies, including nuclear power, then we just have a profound
difference of opinion," McCain said, pointing out that his legislation
would encourage the proliferation of green technology. "People want
consistency, people want you not to take two positions- at least- on
every issue."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/28/615314.aspx
Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 12:55 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, McCain, Romney
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- McCain held a roundtable on national security this
morning with several of his biggest supporters and surrogates. Held at
Atlantic Marine, which builds both commercial and naval vessels, the
event included two senators, a former CIA director, a FBI-agent-turned-
southern-governor, a past head of the VA Administration and a former
POW who was held in Hanoi with McCain.
For almost an hour, the panel took turns describing the threats of
terrorism in general and 'radical Islamic extremism' in particular,
with an emphasis on why McCain's experience makes him the best
candidate to handle the challenges that lie ahead. Although not
exactly an unbiased panel, the clear point was to take another step
towards shifting the debate in Florida -- home to roughly 2 million
veterans -- back towards defense and military preparedness
But McCain couldn't get away from what has become a heated back-and-
forth with Mitt Romney over the economy and the candidates' respective
conservative records. Speaking to reporters after the roundtable,
McCain responded to Romney's attacks from earlier this morning that
likened the senator to a liberal Democrat.
"One thing I think we should really give Governor Romney credit for --
he is consistent," McCain said. "He has consistently taken both sides
of any major issue. He has consistently flip-flopped on every issue...
"As the liberal governor of the state of Massachusetts, he raised
taxes by 730 million dollars, the state is now stuck with a quarter
billion dollar debt over government-mandated health system. When he
was governor, they had the third or fourth worst economy of any state
in America, and the manufacturing jobs left this country at 7%. They
left Massachusetts at 14%...As the head of his investment company, he
presided over companies that immediately laid off thousands of
workers."
McCain also defended his environmental reform legislation, co-
sponsored by Joe Lieberman, which Romney alleged would cost the
average family of four $1,000 per year on oil and natural gas.
"If he thinks that the American economy will suffer by us cleaning up
the environment, by us reducing pollution, by us embracing green
technologies, including nuclear power, then we just have a profound
difference of opinion," McCain said, pointing out that his legislation
would encourage the proliferation of green technology. "People want
consistency, people want you not to take two positions- at least- on
every issue."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/28/615314.aspx
