An enormous part of McCain’s appeal to moderates is the perception that he’s not a raving wingnut on reproductive rights, that he’s actually a reasonable person. Most of that perception is just the stupid “maverick” thing—-people assume that if you break with the party, it’s going to be on an issue like abortion, where the party’s stance is contrary to what the public wants in a really obvious way. But, as Sarah Blustain argues, it’s also because McCain made a few pro-choice noises in 2000, when he was trying to distinguish himself from Bush in the primaries. So which McCain is the pandering one and which one is the real one? The 2000 one, who pretended to be sympathetic to the pro-choice opinion, is the liar.