On Monday the McCain Campaign sent out a press release that said McCain had a plan to balance the budget by the end of his first term. No plan was attached to the press release and no details were given. Only we have a plan. When pressed a little further on how he expected to balance the budget in four years McCain said that winning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would save us money and thus save our economy. No details, nothing about his pledge to stay in Iraq forever, just a promise to balance the budget by 2013.
Later on, on the very same day, McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin changed that pledge to the end of McCain's second term (2017). Note this was on the very same day that Holtz-Eakin had earlier pledged McCain had a plan to balance the budget by 2013. All within a few hours the McCain Camp went from balancing the budget by the end of his first term to the end of his second term.
But wait, it gets better.
Yesterday morning McCain himself on CNN took the vagueness a step further by only admitting that his presidency would balance the budget. This time no time frame but again without any details of how he intends to balance the budget. So now we've went from balancing the budget in 4 years, to balancing the budget in 8 years, to balancing the budget just whenever. All without a plan made public, and all with a straight face.
This is exactly what Republicans want, however. This is their mindset. They don't care about policies elected officials might govern with, they just want him to say "we'll balance the budget." They aren't interested in governing, they just want him to say it. That's what turns them on. They love to talk about balanced budgets, small government, big manly tough people, glorious wars and kicking ass. It's all talk and no show. McCain saying all the right things is enough for people who vote Republican. They wouldn't have it any other way. That's why when McCain and other Republicans are questioned about their Grand Plans their immediate answers are to tell you how unserious you are or how unpatriotic you are. They have no substance to talk with, it's just "we'll balance the budget," take our word for it and having a plan with details is not as important as making sure tough manly men stay in charge of this country so that the terrorists don't win.
What we know is that McCain is going to balance the budget. No idea how or when. It might be 2013 or 2017, but he will do it. For Republicans that's more than enough reason to think John McSame will be the best president since George W. Bush.
