"(McCain) was opposed to ethanol. Now he's for it."
Mitt Romney on Thursday, April 26th, 2007 in Stratham, N.H.
McCain has come around to favor ethanol
While running for president in 1999, McCain criticized federal subsidies for ethanol and said the alternative fuel wasn't worth the effort to produce it.
Now, McCain acknowledges a change of heart on the alternative fuel. In a television appearance earlier this year, McCain said the need to curb greenhouse emissions and to lower America's appetite for foreign oil have led him to a new conclusion on ethanol: "It makes a lot of sense."
He still opposes government subsidies for ethanol, however.
Sources: Des Moines Register, May 30, 1999. “Candidates formulate policies; Some support farm subsidies and tax breaks for ethanol, others oppose those measures.” By Claflin Blair; The Associated Press, December 13, 1999, “Highlights from Monday's debate between GOP presidential hopefuls”; NBC News Transcripts, May 13, 2007, Meet the Press, “Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona discusses his candidacy for president in 2008, Iraq, and other issues”
Written by: Angie Drobnic Holan
Researched by: Angie Drobnic Holan
Edited by: Bill Adair
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Romney says McCain flip-flops, too
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