John McCain Kicks Off Revisionist Biography Tour

By BlackJack

Straight Dope Express To Stay Well South Of The Truth

John McCain is jumping on his campaign bus and hitting the highways of GOP-friendly America to reintroduce himself to the voting public. And he'd appreciate if you'd forget everything you already know about him - especially the truth.

The tour, which his campaign has labeled the "Service To America Tour", kicks off today in Meridian, Mississippi - home of McCain Field named in honor of the Senators late grandfather. The accompanying biography posted on the John McCain campaign site tells the story of John McCain's life - relating stories about McCain's military career and those of his family while failing to mention anything substantial about his career in Washington.

Truth be told, McCain's Senate record is likely too liberal for most Republicans, while his recently acquired pro-Bush stance is too right-wing for progressives. And, while being filled with patriotic cheerleading and feel-good personal anecdotes, his campaign web biography fails to mention important votes and statements from McCain's Washington record.

Take for example McCain's 2006 vote against the constitutional marriage amendment that would have outlawed same-sex unions. Today his views have changed just in time to appeal to the Conservative base. In an issues section of his website titled "Human Dignity & the Sanctity of Life" there is subsection with the title "Protecting Marriage". Apparently, McCain has a much different view of legislative bigotry these days as the section states "John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman".

In his 2000 campaign McCain said he would not support a ban on abortion. Today his website states that "the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion". And also in the 2000 campaign he supported fetal tissue research while today he takes a much more conservative approach and calls a ban on several research paths.

So let's all jump on board the 'Straight Dope Express' and see where the ride takes us. One guarantee - it'll go nowhere near the truth.