John McCain will venture into the Everglades for the first time as a presidential candidate Friday, an obligatory rite of passage for politicians shoring up their environmental credentials in a crucial state.
But the Arizona senator opposed spending $2 billion on restoring the national park, siding with President Bush against Florida's political establishment -- including top Republican supporters Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.
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This article does a great job of going beyond reporting on a campaign appearance to find out how consistent McCain's actual actions on the Everglades are with his photo op, and it finds that his actions are not very consistent. The reporter provides good background on the value of the Everglades to the state of Florida, the positions of Florida lawmakers on the Everglades, McCain's justification for voting against Everglades restoration, and the reasons that Everglades restoration is supported. Great piece!
This article could go even further in detailing McCain’s past positions on conservation, since he is billing himself as a convservationist. The article linked below provides a list of top McCain donors and their anti-conservation interests.