RUSH: Here’s McCain. We have three bites. This is the most maddening portion of his speech last night in New Orleans. Climate change — well, here — I don’t need to preview it for you. You just listen.
MCCAIN: The next president must be willing to break completely with the energy policies not just of the Bush administration, but the administrations that preceded his. Senator Obama voted for the same policies that created the problem. In fact, he voted for the energy bill promoted by the president and Vice President Cheney, which gave even more breaks to the oil industry. With forward thinking Democrats and Republicans, I proposed a climate change policy that would greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Our approach was opposed by President Bush and by leading Democrats, and it was defeated by opposition from special interests that favor Republicans and those that favor Democrats.
RUSH: I don’t even need to add commentary. He has to start, ‘The next president must be willing to break completely with the energy policies not just of the Bush administration,’ rips into Bush and Cheney for ‘giving breaks to the oil industry.’ This is a guy who says he’s a Reagan conservative. Takes pride in the fact that Democrats and Republicans both oppose my bill. He’s in favor of this debacle that is being read right now on the floor of the Senate, all 500 pages. Good Morning America today, Ron Claiborne, the reporter interviewing Senator McCain. He said, ‘Why would Democrats that have supported a liberal Democrat, why should they vote for you, a conservative Republican?’
MCCAIN: They respect the fact that I’ve reached across the aisle to Democrats. If I’m going to win this election, a key to winning this election will be independent voters and Democrats as well.
RUSH: There you have it. There you have it. A question: Why should liberal Democrats vote for you? You’re a conservative Republican. Well, because I’ve reached across the aisle to Democrats. I’m going to win this election. The key to winning this election will be independent voters and Democrats. He thinks he’s going to be rewarded for all this independence. And Claiborne said, ‘Well, you did not refer to what, for many Americans, certainly will be the historic moment of the country, an African-American as a nominee of the party.’
MCCAIN: I congratulated Senator Obama, not because of any reason except that he has run a very effective campaign and he’s done a very admirable job, and as I said, he’s motivated lots of Americans to be involved in the political process.
RUSH: They just sit around, they look at this, they hear these sound bites themselves, Democrat National Committee headquarters, and they rub their hands together. They say, ‘So, Senator McCain wants to go on the honor basis, eh? (laughing) Senator McCain wants to tell everybody that Democrats are going to like him because he’s worked with Democrats, eh, wants to tell ’em that, huh?’ They are salivating at this. Obama gave us just a little preview in his speech last night. McCain’s independence doesn’t count for anything with Obama, not a whit. He hasn’t been independent enough. Meanwhile, Obama has zero independence. It’s going to be a combination of interesting and frustrating to watch all this play out.