Among the Christian RIght’s chief criticisms of John McCain has been his reluctance to point out differences between himself and Barack Obama on hot button social issues like abortion and gay marriage. A new McCain campaign briefing shows the Arizona may be shedding that reluctance. It enumerates 17 reported Obama flip flops, including some that are bound to make the Christian Right happy (even though they appear near the bottom of the list):

CHANGE #15: Barack Obama Is Against The California Ballot Measure Banning Gay Marriage Despite His Assertion That Marriage Is Between A Man And A Woman
Barack Obama Came Out Against A California Ballot Measure That Would Ban Same-Sex Marriage. “Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages. In a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read Sunday at the group’s annual Pride Breakfast in San Francisco, the Illinois senator said he supports extending ‘fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law.'” (Aurelio Rojas, “Obama Rejects Proposed California Gay Marriage Ban,” Sacramento Bee, 7/1/08)
· “Obama Had Previously Said He Opposes Same-Sex Marriage But That Each State Should Make Its Own Decision.” (Aurelio Rojas, “Obama Rejects Proposed California Gay Marriage Ban,” Sacramento Bee, 7/1/08)
CHANGE #16: Barack Obama Says That “Mental Distress” Should Not Be Reason For A Late Term Abortion Which Contradicts His Past Extreme Pro-Abortion Views
Barack Obama: Mental Distress Should Not Be A Reason For A Late Term Abortion. “I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that ‘mental distress’ qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term.” (Sen. Barack Obama Interview, Relevant Magazine, 7/1/08)
· Barack Obama Appears To Have Backed Away “From His Long-Stated Positions On Abortion.” “In a recent interview, Obama appears to back away from his long-stated positions on abortion (and a proposed federal abortion rights law he had co-sponsored), repudiate 35 years of accepted Supreme Court rulings on the issue and embrace a view on abortion restrictions that has been expressed on the Court only by Justices Thomas and Scalia.” (Jan Crawford Greenburg, “Obama: Sounding Like Thomas And Scalia?” http://blogs.abcnews.com, 7/4/08)

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