It seems more a piece to laud McCain for his conflicting allegiances, but doesn't really show/prove that he embraces conflicting opinions. It seems more that the author can't parse normal political speech. An item cited "his case for fiscally conservative, smaller government" juxtaposing his denouncement of Obama’s approach to health care. Although it might sound contradictory, parsing it as Republican-speak only means that he will cut social welfare, leave the military juggernaut in place, lower taxes on wealth, and certainly not balance the budget. No one should believe either candidate can balance the budget, considering the expenditures on war and financial rescue as we head into an economic downturn.