In my feature on the Chicago Climate Exchange, I mentioned John McCain's tepid support for cap-and-trade -- a stance that differentiated his campaign from the Bush administration's disgraceful environmental record, even if the GOP nominee was confused about the its mechanics:
John McCain proved his environmental policy chops need tuning when he told reporters in June that he believed in a nationwide cap-and-trade system as long as it did not impose a mandatory cap. Despite the blunder, the Arizona Republican has been on record since 2003 in support of mandatory cap-and-trade and such a proposal -- requiring emissions to drop 60 percent below 1990 levels by mid-century -- sits at the center of his energy plan.
But if elected, will McCain follow through on his promise to protect the environment? Via Matt Yglesias comes this video from McCain economic adviser Steve Forbes. It's far from reassuring:
We know it's not uncommon for the 2008 version of McCain to backtrack on previous positions. But what's the cause of the McCain campaign's waffling in this case? Could a few campaign contributions from oil and gas interests -- over $1 million in the past year -- be playing a role?
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