Ethanol

Many articles have questioned McCain's obsession with Iowa. Given that he all but skipped the caucuses in Iowa to campaign in New Hampshire, and that he has not led in a single public poll from the state, the obsession is puzzling. And then there's this video of McCain's combative interview with the the editorial board of the state's largest newspaper. Over the weekend, both McCain and Palin have mentioned their support for ethanol in campaign speeches. (Iowa is the nation's largest producer of ethanol) To be fair, neither has talked about subsidies for ethanol, which McCain has adamantly opposed. If the McCain-Palin campaign is touting its support for ethanol sans subsidies, why do it now and not earlier? The McCain camp may have been hoping that the nuances about subsidies would escape the voters' attention but instead they seem to have been lost on reporters, who are reporting on the matter as a last minute, politically convenient conversion.