For some reason, many Democrats and progressives are suffering from the delusion that John McCain is a “moderate” or a “maverick”. They think that because McCain puts on a moderate mask when he’s in front of the cameras, that he must not be as bad as the Bush cabal. Wrong. McCain’s voting record consistently places him in the right wing of his party, and far outside of mainstream America. For example, the Traditional Values Coalition put out a scorecard for the 2004 session of Congress, and John McCain’s voting record is right up their alley:

The “Partial-Birth Abortion” Ban: For

Upholding Roe v. Wade: Against

Ending debate on extremist judges: For

Adequate sex education for Global HIV/AIDS prevention: Against

Extending the right to choose to our servicewomen: Against

Giving a fetus rights in the event of a violent crime: For

Hate crimes legislation: Against

There’s nothing moderate about John McCain. He’s a hard-right conservative who’s cozy with the Religious Right. On 8 out of 9 votes, he voted with the Traditional Values Coalition, a group devoted to exposing “the homosexual agenda” , especially as it pertains to “Brokeback Mountain.” This guy is Pat Robertson and James Dobson’s dream candidate.