McCain caters to GOP voters

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Sen. John McCain has quietly been piling up flip-flops, including ditching his long-held support for the Law of the Sea convention and telling bloggers he now opposes the DREAM Act to legalize illegal alien students.

The sea treaty has become the latest litmus test for the 2008 Republican presidential field, and after a decade-long record of public support for it, Mr. McCain has pivoted to bring himself in line with the rest of the candidates.

"I would probably vote against it in its present form," he told bloggers last week during a conference call.

Republican primary voters tilt to the right, and the sea treaty is another example of Mr. McCain veering to try to align himself with them, recanting positions along the way on immigration, tax cuts and campaign-finance reform.

Mr. McCain's support for the sea treaty stretched back to the 1990s, when he signed a letter with three other senators urging its passage, and continued through 2003, when he was scheduled to testify on its behalf before a Senate committee.

But after the rest of the Republican presidential field took a stand against the treaty this month, Mr. McCain had little choice but to change, conservatives said.

"Where does that put him? Does he alienate the base again like he did on immigration or does he go with the conservatives' feeling on this? In this case, McCain was sensible and realized he really doesn't have a choice," said Robert B. Bluey, the blogger who asked Mr. McCain about his position on the treaty during the conference call.

The Bush administration wants the sea treaty, arguing it will bring stability and ensure navigation rights to the U.S. Navy. Critics say the treaty could lead to an international taxing power and creates new international tribunals that could hurt the United States.

A McCain campaign operative said the senator rethought his position on the treaty over the past year, and concluded it contains threats to sovereignty.

The operative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, couldn't say why those threats weren't apparent before, though in his conference call Mr. McCain told the bloggers he is worried about global warming and the international race to claim the Arctic.