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The McCain campaign realizes that they are in trouble, that it is critical for McSame McCain to blur the realities of McFlip, McFlop, McSame McCain to try to create appearance of quite substantive differences between himself and George W. Bush, to blur the reality that across issue after issue, it truly is McSame McCain.

McCain will … drive a triangulated contrast among himself, the Democratic nominee and President Bush.

Critical to creating an appearance of room between George the W and his anointed successor: Global Warming.

Differences between Bush and McCain will be “discussed at great length,” promises one aide.

“He’ll be direct about it. He’s never gratuitous, never disrespectful, but there are going to be policy breaks where it couldn’t be clearer.” Two areas of difference McCain will highlight: global warming and spending.

Yes, McFlip, McFlop, McSame McCain is different from George W Bush when it comes to Global Warming. Despite George’s recent speech, at least McFlip has one foot in reality when it comes to acknowledgment that Global Warming is a reality.

Yet, there is always the McFlop. And, when it comes to McFlop, McSame McCain is about inaction.

Just as George W. Bush emphasizes technology as the solution to all our problems, so does McFlop McCain.

Just as George W. Bush emphasizes voluntary measures as a solution to Global Warming, so does a ‘reformed’ McFlop McCain, who has argued that his legislative approach for (an inadequate) cap on emissions would rely on voluntary, not compulsory, measurs.

Just as George W. Bush emphasizes nuclear power and (less deadly) “clean coal” as tools to deal with Global Warming, so does McSame McCain.

Now, while John McCain’s words can sound quite strong and quite good on Global Warming, McSame McCain’s “Green Straight Talk Express” is actually the “Dirty Energy Non-Action Machine.

And, if elected, the differences between McSame McCain and the current Administration might be hard to find.  As Joe Romm has so clearly laid out in No climate for old men: Why John McCain isn’t the candidate to stop global warming (long version), McSame McCain’s judges would not be strong advocates of climate protection; the Republican bench for appointees to federal agencies are not full of people who are closely associated with reality when it comes to climate change; and … well so many other things.

While the McCain campaign will try to blur reality, even though the words might be different, a McCain Administration would almost certainly turn out to be more of the McSame when it comes to substantive progress to solve our quite real Global Warming challenges.

Complicating factors …

Sadly, too many are contributing to the blurring of the realities of John McCain when it comes to Global Warming.

For example, this simply reinforces the political ineptitude of strongly supporting / praising Lieberman-Warner.  Do we really want Democratic Party leaders (Senators) standing up praising Joe Lieberman just two months before he goes before the Republican convention to stand up in support of John McCain?  

This crass political judgment puts aside the point that L-W utterly fails to meet the three basic principles that should guide Global Warming legislation.

* Scientific guidelines

* Polluters Pay

* Social Equity

Lieberman-Warner fails significantly on all three measures.

McCain’s proposals, to date, are worse than Lieberman-Warner.  
Bush’s are even worse.  Bad, Worse, and Worst.  

McCain campaign plan:  blur McSame McCain into something good by making “not worst”, but simply “worse”, look like something good.

But undermining doesn’t stop there …

When it comes to Global Warming, the political battle for too many years has been over ‘Does Global Warming Exist?’ and ‘Are Humans Involved?’  With all the financial, ideological and all the other efforts attacking scientific findings, that someone simply acknowledged that Global Warming actually existed put them on the side of good.

And, John McCain has acknowledged reality …

This has led, for example, Al Gore is playing in helping to blur the substantive differences between the Democratic nominee (whether Obama or Clinton) and McCain.    For example,

Gore’s spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, … was complimentary about the presidential candidates, including Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

“Former Vice President Gore thinks that both candidates are very strong. Both of them have offered plans to address the climate crisis … as has Senator McCain,” she said.

“It’s a real turnaround to have candidates on both sides of the aisle offering, you know, solutions and plans to the climate crisis.”

Yes, John McCain acknowledges reality, that Global Warming relates. But he has  shown himself unwilling to do anything serious to live up to his rhetoric.  Al Gore needs to realize that the question is no longer ‘does someone acknowledge reality’ but whether they are willing to take action to deal with it.  To date, John McCain is failing that test.

In any event …

This matters.

This is serious.

This is now not just survival of a livable planet at stake, but crass political concerns and positioning …

With crass political position at stake, maybe it can break through primary mania and get some attention.