McCain opposes regulation -- until he supports it

As financial collapse threatened Wall Street and consumed Washington, John McCain appeared to undergo a dramatic transformation. The candidate who would shrink government became the candidate who would bulk it up. The turnabout is a move McCain has perfected in 26 years on Capitol Hill. The Arizona senator embraces his party's popular critique of government, frequently invoking the deregulatory rhetoric that has helped Republicans win five of the last seven presidential elections. But when a crisis or scandal makes headlines and sparks a public outcry, McCain is among the quickest in his party to call for robust government intervention. Over the last decade, he also championed greater government authority over airlines, automobiles, tobacco, television programming, even baseball, which he targeted after reports of steroid use in the sport. Sen McCain wanted to regulate when broadcasters could air violent programming. In one unusual bid to expand government authority, McCain introduced legislation in 2003 to control how broadcasters cover elections. Under McCain's proposal, broadcasters would have been required to air two hours a week of candidate- or issue-centered programming and to offer political candidates the lowest advertising rates.