Barack Obama and John McCain Renew Their Split

The Economic Stimulus Package Has Caused a Renewed Obama-McCain Conflict

So much for the respectful feelings between John McCain and Barack Obama that seemed to have emerged before the election. McCain now has emerged as a leading opponent of an economic stimulus package that Obama believes is absolutely necessary.

"The whole point, Mr. President, is to enact tax cuts and spending measures that truly stimulate the economy," McCain said Friday on the Senate floor. "There are billions and tens of billions of dollars in this bill which will have no effect within three, four, five or more years, or ever. Or ever."

With this statement, John McCain showed evidence that he wasn't flip-flopping last year when he became an ardent Reagan-Bush style advocate of big cuts. McCain had opposed tax cuts at the start of the Iraq War in 2002 and 2003, asserting that it would be unpatriotic to reduce tax revenue durng a time of warfare. During last year's campaign against Obama, McCain was include of shifting to a pro-tax cut mode for the sake of winning votes. But McCain probably faces no more elections during his lifetime, unless he runs for the Senate one more time, and so there no longer is a need for McCain to pander.

Still, McCain didn't initiate his renewed friction with Obama. The conflict seemed to begin Thursday night, when Obama spoke to a conference of Democrats. Obama reportedly abandoned his prepared speech and his teleprompter about one-third of the way through his remarks, and then returned to an aggressive partisan tone for the first time since before the election.

Obama actually mocked McCain and other Republicans for criticizing the economic stimulus package as a spending bill.

"What do you think a stimulus is?" Obama asked with dripping sarcasm. "That's the whole point. No, seriously, that's the point."

Assembled Democrats laughed before they applauded.

McCain rejoined with these words: "$50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts - all of us are for the arts," McCain said. "Tell me how that creates any significant number of jobs? After-school snack program is probably a good idea. Do we really want to spend $726 million on it?"