Last week, after catching heat from conservatives for saying that “payroll tax increases” were not “off the table” regarding Social Security, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) declared in a townhall meeting, “I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase.” On MSNBC today, anti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of George H.W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge. Watch it:
Asked if “President Bush has given a blueprint to Senator McCain on how to do this,” Norquist replied, “yes.”
Update:
Later in the interview, when MSNBC’s Chuck Todd asked about Sen. Joe Lieberman’s potential as McCain’s VP choice, Norquist said that “Lieberman is left wing on every single issue with the exception of his interest in occupying Mesopotamia.”