A qqfter 26 years as a status quo senator, John McCain says he's going to bring change to Washington. But how is he going to do this?

He says he will take on the lobbyists and special interests in Washington, but his campaign is being run by lobbyists on leave of absence from their lobbying firms. He says he will overcome the partisan rancor that's infected Washington, but he and his convention speakers did nothing but launch vicious partisan personal attacks against his opponent, and he picked as his running mate an extreme hard-line conservative; a self-described pit-bull with lipstick.

He says he's going to change the direction of the last eight years, but he voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time. On those rare occasions where he did originally take on Bush - taxes, torture, the oil and gas lobby and evangelical intolerance - he has acquiesced and now supports all of Bush's policies.

So, how is McCain the candidate for change? He isn't. He's about the status quo. If elected, his administration will continue pushing the Bush policies for another four years, bankrupting the middle class. If you want real change that brings new solutions to our nation's challenges and restores respect for the U.S. around the world, then you will vote for Barack Obama.

WAYNE FULLER

Concord