In discussing the November 2008 Presidential election, I’ve had a number of people who lean liberal but are uncertain about either Obama or Clinton (generally the latter) tell me that they would be ok with a McCain victory because he’s “not like other Republicans.”

I always disagree, arguing that a McCain victory would effectively be an extension of the Bush administration. As it turns out, the Associated Press agrees with me in a new article, “McCain: More Conservative Than His Image,” where they state:

The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear to realize. McCain leans to the right on issue after issue, not just on the Iraq war but also on abortion, gay rights, gun control and other issues that matter to his party’s social conservatives.

The article offers a detailed examination of McCain’s positions on abortion, gay rights and gun control, leaving aside his support for the status quo in Iraq, regressive economic policies and belligerent talk toward Iran.

It’s a mistake to think of him as a moderate. His centrist positions are typically abandoned or reversed, a move that would be “flip-flopping” if a Democrat were doing it. Unfortunately, McCain seems to be held to a different standard.