John McCain takes a vow

In a townhall meeting, John McCain said "I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise taxes." Anti-tax wingnut Grover Norquist declared that this was:

an updated version of "Read my lips, no new taxes"

That line of course, was George H. W. Bush's promise, which Bush promptly broke.

Of course, McCain's record in terms of keeping vows is pretty weak. Setting aside his habit of reversing his own policy decisions so often that even he often seems confused about what he thinks, he also famously dumped his first wife, who he vowed to stand by for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, when he found a richer woman who hadn't been injured in a car crash.

Unfortunately, the USA can't simply marry a richer country to relieve our burgeoning debt. Perhaps we need a president who knows something about keeping promises, and living on a budget.