Flip-Flop Express: His Own Energy Policy

Apparently John McCain is too busy pandering to voters that he doesn't even remember his own energy policy...

Via Cooksandliers.com, Grist.org x2, eenews.net, and obsidianwings.blogs.com-

McCain: “Sure. I believe in the cap-and-trade system, as you know. I would not at this time make those -- impose a mandatory cap at this time. But I do believe that we have to establish targets for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions over time, and I think those can be met.”

McCain:
“It's not quote mandatory caps. It's cap-and-trade, OK. It's not mandatory caps to start with. It's cap-and-trade. That's very different. OK, because that's a gradual reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. So please portray it as cap-and-trade. That's the way I call it.”

“It comes as no surprise that the focus is on a cap-and-trade program, something McCain has supported for five years. In fact, there is virtually no mention of any emission reduction policies outside of cap-and-trade -- no efficiency or fuel economy mandates, no electrical utility decoupling, no mention of public transit... As for the cap-and-trade program itself, McCain's basic targets and mechanisms are roughly in line with what others have proposed. He would aim for 1990 emission levels by 2020, and 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.”

as a blogger noted, “The best you can say for McCain, on this point, is that he is completely unfamiliar with what is supposed to be one of his signature issues. Not knowing what ‘mandatory cap’ means, in this context, is like not knowing what a ’strike’ is in baseball.”

For those of you who don't know what a cap and trade system is, basically, the government imposes a mandatory cap on carbon emissions. Those that are under the cap can sell ("trade") those "credits" to a company that goes over. Here's the problem... if it isn't MANDATORY it cant work. What company that goes over is going to willing buy credits? That's financial stupidity.