McCain, Obama Not Far Apart on Many Issues

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama share common ground on a surprising selection of issues as they vie for the White House. Both want the United States to join the campaign against global warming in earnest. Both want to cut taxes for the middle class. No matter who wins, the moratorium on offshore drilling could well be relaxed, yet both presidential candidates also oppose letting oil companies into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, after years of Republican efforts to open it to drilling. As much as the candidates would be loathe to admit it, circumstance and the evolution of war policy have even diminished their differences over the course in Iraq. They both favor ending the ban on federal money for embryonic stem cell research and have only shades of difference over key questions about gay marriage. To be sure, voters have a real choice to make in the Nov. 4 election and the national party conventions are devoted to playing up the many differences. Parties, after all, ... (link)