John McCain Drills For Cash At Denver's Petroleum Club

Sen. John McCain will visit Denver on Thursday to do what many politicians have done before him -- ask for money. But the fundraising trip to the posh Petroleum Club in Denver tomorrow raises a central question of the 2008 campaign: would a McCain presidency simply reprise the oil-and-gas-friendly Bush Administration for another four years?

The Arizona senator and presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a study in contrasts -- often exasperatingly so for political allies and opponents alike.

An examination of McCain's campaign donors, voting record and public statements suggest his long-hewed persona as a political maverick coexists with his identity as consummate Washington insider with strong ties to corporate interests -- a politician who is as much a product of a money-bloated political system as his colleagues.

McCain's legislative priorities on energy issues appear to change depending on his political ambitions. The senator's voting record on oil and gas drilling in protected public lands, corporate tax breaks, and CAFE standards are often inconsistent with his public comments on renewable energy, foreign oil independence and climate change. The statements are also at odds with an industry that has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into his campaign coffers. Compounding the squeamishness on McCain's views is an odd omission from his presidential Web site -- there's no energy policy except for a speech from April 23, 2007 buried in the news and media section.

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