In Praise of Waffling
How Roe v. Wade distorts American politics.
BY JAMES TARANTO
Tuesday, August 31, 1999 Sen. John McCain, whose 1997-98 voting record earned him a 90% rating from the National Right to Life Committee, is a born-again supporter of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that struck down state abortion laws. Or is he?
In an Aug. 20 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. McCain declared: "Certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations." Four days later, however, he wrote to the National Right to Life Committee declaring his "unequivocal support" for overturning Roe. Mr. McCain's waffling drew guffaws from pundits and attacks from pro-life and pro-choice groups alike....
For future reference, the Wall Street Journal is also now excerpt-only, thus the pull of #19.