McCain Defends Anti G/L Credentials

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Sen. John McCain, who has struggled to win the trust of evangelical voters, met privately Thursday (June 26) in Ohio with several influential social conservatives who have been critical of him -- and impressed them, while telling them only some of what they wanted to hear, reported the Los Angeles Times.

McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the small assembly that he was open to learning more about their opposition to embryonic stem cell research despite his past disagreements with them on the issue. And, according to participants, he indicated that he would take seriously their requests that he choose an anti-abortion running mate and would talk more openly about his opposition to gay marriage -- a pledge he carried out later in the day by endorsing a ballot measure in California to ban Gay and Lesbian marriage. "It was obvious there were a lot of changed hearts in the room," said Phil Burress, who led Ohio's anti-Gay-and-Lesbian marriage ballot measure in 2004. "We realized that he's with us on the majority of the issues we care about."

Also read McCain having it both ways with Log Cabinites.