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The Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank writes up John McCain’s evolving stance on offshore oil drilling and his overall efforts to appeal both “to independent voters” and “the still-suspicious Republican base” as choreographed, if not particularly fluid, dance steps (kicking off the piece with his own age-related battement):
If John McCain keeps dancing like this, he’s liable to break a hip.
Last month, he shimmied to the left on energy policy, infuriating conservatives with a plan to cap carbon emissions. Yesterday, he shuffled back to the right, demanding an end to quarter-century-old bans on offshore oil drilling.
Are reporters turning on McCain? Could McCain be turning on reporters? Milbank reports that during yesterday’s press “session:”
The man once celebrated for his informality with reporters emerged in a severe gray suit and stood in front of four American flags, flared with the help of adhesive tape. He scolded one reporter for asking a question without raising her hand. One star correspondent, arriving a few minutes late for the event, was forced to wait outside until McCain finished.
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