McCain, Aides Often Part Ways on Policy

Much has been made recently of John McCain’s difficulty in driving a message from his “eclectic and occasionally politically inconvenient hodgepodge of policy positions,” Politico says, but little has been said about how often the candidate’s top aides disagree with him. And while fewer public disagreements within the Obama campaign might be attributable to tighter messaging as well as the Democrat's shorter and less-maverick career, Politico takes a look.

McCain’s education policy adviser broke with him on whether No Child Left Behind is well-funded, his top economic rep has railed against the Bush tax cuts—and now unenthusiastically toes the campaign line—while Carly Fiorina has departed from her boss on health care mandates and tax hikes for the wealthy. A McCain spokesman, however, says he simply “seeks advisers that provide a broad range of perspectives." (More John McCain stories.)