"Before he debates Barack Obama, he's really got to finish the debate with himself."

OK, so the photo has nothing to do with yesterday's conference call. It's actually a picture from the MA Dem convention, but I have decided that rally signs are completely appropriate when the Senator zings McCain as spectacularly as he did yesterday, with his comment about McCain's flip-flop on the environment so spot-on as to warrant a couple signs at the very least. If I had balloons, I'd post them, too.

TPM has audio of the Senator's call, where he blasted McCain on every inconsistency, from ANWR to his opposition to a windfall profits tax, and from torture to taxes.

Senator Kerry attacked Bush/McCain's big oil position with the facts, explaining that 95% of the Alaska oil shelf is open to oil exploration today, that the Gulf is as well, and the oil companies are sitting on it, waiting for the prices to go up even higher.

The truth, as both Sen. Kerry and Sen. Obama have noted, is that you can't drill your way out of the energy crisis, you have to invent your way out of it. McCain used to know this stuff, Senator Kerry reminds us (even though McCain's record was never as good as what he claimed). I think he still does know it, but has chosen to abandon completely his previous lukewarm defense of the environment in deference to the whims of big oil, and to pander to voters with half-truths and Republican propaganda, promising relief from high energy prices when his proposals will in no way provide any such assistance.

Sen. Kerry ran through the list of McCain flip-flops, including torture, taxes, embracing support from evangelicals, oil drilling, ANWR, and the windfall profits tax. I'll bet he missed a few, but it's quite an impressive list nonetheless.

On the subject of flip-flops, Senator Kerry's MA Senate opponent had a whopper recently, when faux progressive candidate Ed O'Reilly decided he was for immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq before he was against it. Kerstin posted on BMG about EOR's new position on getting out of Iraq, where he waffles on his previous calls for immediate withdrawal and even questions the appropriateness of Senate involvement in calling for an end to the war.

Seems to me that was the main plank of Ed's platform, and now he's flipped his position from 'Out Now!' to 'Out Eventually!', which I have to say, doesn't look near as good on signs, and makes for a really lousy protest chant.

Maybe before attempts to debate John Kerry, Ed should really finish the debate with himself.