So, John McCain has gone from "I will not agree to any tax increase" to "nothing's off the table":
Economics has never been Mr. McCain's strong suit, but with Iraq receding as a crisis the economy is the ground where the Senator will have to fight and win. And the tax issue provides him with a potent opening, given Mr. Obama's pledge to raise taxes on incomes, dividends and capital gains. In proposing to raise the payroll tax cap, the Democrat is to the left even of Hillary Clinton. Mr. McCain's Sunday blunder will make that issue that much harder to exploit.
Such mistakes also help explain the continued lack of enthusiasm for Mr. McCain among many conservatives.
No kidding. Given Obama's fondness for tax increases and McCain's usually deserved reputation for fiscal restraint, I thought there was a clear choice between the candidates in this area, and I'd much rather this be one of those issues McCain doesn't flip-flop over. Still, "nothing's off the table" is probably a more honest answer, and I'd rather hear it now than have to read his lips later.
