You know, I've noticed that whatever positions I take, Republicans end up taking them too. But only after they've held the wrong positions for years.

Two years ago when I said we should send more troops to Afghanistan, John McCain thought we could muddle through. Now he has adopted my position & wants to send more troops.

When I said we should go after bin Laden in Pakistan, John McCain called me naive. But now George Bush has adopted my position & is attacking there.

When I said we should have a timeline for getting troops out of Iraq, the Republicans attacked me. But the Iraqi government wants our troops out & the Bush administration has agreed to set a timeframe.

When I said I would negotiate with Iran, I was attacked by Republicans. But you know what's coming next. The Bush administration is talking to Iran and even Henry Kissinger now supports my position.

When I said I would change the government, John McCain ran in the primaries as someone who would follow George Bush's policies to the letter. Now suddenly, he's taken my position and decided he wants to change the lobbyist-run Washington that he helped create.

When I said 6 months ago that we needed to be careful about the impact of subprime mortgages, John McCain's chief economic advisor was Phil Gramm, the man who called us whiners. More importantly he was the author of the legislation that allowed the banks to get to this point. And John McCain strongly supported that. Now after 26 years of saying that banks should be deregulated, John McCain has done a 180 and adopted my position.

I'm flattered that the Republicans have become such big fans of my positions, but I kind of get tired of them following me around everywhere I go.

Seriously, don't you want a President that knows what to do about the economy before the crisis, instead of one who encourages failed policies for years, then comes up with an entirely new position after the stuff hits the fan?

Don't you want a President who will lead instead of follow?

It was 1997 when I had my John McCain moment.

That's when as a member of the press you swoon a bit as you realize this guy is different from the rest.

...

I ran into McCain heading to the meeting [with Indian tribes]. He had no aides with him. He was off to "go stand with the tribes," he said.

Go back and read the treaties, McCain said. It's obvious what we agreed to. We took millions of acres of their land and, in turn, signed these deals. To unilaterally rewrite the terms now is another act of deception, betrayal, bad faith.

Our honor is at stake, he said. Not theirs. Ours.

I've been a McCain fan ever since. The tribes had no clout then, and there were no TV cameras around. Here was a politician doing something not for his own benefit, but because it was right.

Which makes the detestable campaign he's now running difficult for me to come to grips with.

A number of readers have chided me for it. How can I keep calling McCain honorable?

I can't anymore. Not after last week.

...

This is the presidency. And this time it isn't lies from an independent group or anonymous blog. It's from the candidate himself.

What happened to McCain? Maybe he has many sides. Or maybe I judged him wrong. But I remember the reason he impressed me was because he showed me, in person, how he believed in something intangible, a principle beyond the game of politics.

Now I can't tell what he believes in. Beyond winning. Any sleazy way he can.

Dan Helling: A lot of experts say this is just not a good idea.

McCain: A lot of experts are driven to work in chauffered limousines. A lot of experts live in Georgetown and walk to work.

Here's why the gas tax won't save you any money. The oil companies already know they can sell all the gas they have at over $4.00 a gallon. If there's no tax, they will still sell all  the gas they have at $4.00 a gallon, but they'll pocket the difference. Instead of using the money for infrastructure or energy independence, oil company executives will be laughing all the way to the bank.