WP article on JK & McCain: "On Climate, Partners on Hill Drift Apart"

[beachmom]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/12/AR2009091202726.html?hpid=topnews

As climate change reemerges as an issue in the national policy debate, it may help define the legislative legacies of two men who once vied for the White House: Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Both men have championed the issue of global warming for years, including when they served as their party's presidential nominees in 2004 and 2008, respectively. But, for the moment, McCain is barely engaged in the issue beyond criticizing the climate bill passed by the House, while Kerry has emerged as one of the chamber's leading dealmakers. The fact that the two no longer appear to be on the same side underscores the challenge Democrats face in enacting the first national cap on greenhouse gas emissions.

"This is a tough lift, in every respect," said Kerry, who has held 40 one-on-one meetings with 25 fellow Democrats over the past couple of months and plans to meet with half a dozen Republicans in the next week or so. "My hope is that common sense and the facts will prevail, but that doesn't always happen around here."

Go to the link to read the rest.

My view is McCain still thinks he can be a champion for the bankrupt party known as the GOP. I am going to go out on a limb here and say McCain's real views were shown back in 2002 when he co-sponsored that CAFE bill with Kerry. He is now just a hack. Here's hoping Sen. Kerry can convince him to go back to being sensible.

[karynnj]

1. That first sentence may give hope to what McCain will do

It seems that nearly every good thing he ever did was motivated by trying to compensate for something he did wrong. Here I think you are right and McCain's real thoughts are that global warming is real. Kerry might be able to convince him that be on the right side of this is the thing that will ultimately give him more honor - because as he campaigned on it being real and the need to do something he will look like a hack to history - which will be less kind than his adoring media.

Newt Gingrich is another possible person who might be pushed to be useful. In the debate with Kerry, he immediately took the position that it was real and he even agreed - after much pushing - that it was man made. I know he backtracked - but I suspect he too may really believe this. If he didn't, he never would have conceded something that his base would hate.