Sometimes a politician has an honest change of position on key issues, even after a few years.  When they do, they will usually offer a detailed explanation of their thought process, hopefully convincing supporters that the change was merited by more and better information and/or a reapplication of first principles.  Other politicians who change their positions for political expediency just hope no one notices.

Guess which category Charlie Crist falls:

Charlie Crist is continuing his campaign to say and do anything to win an election by removing from his website all mention of supporting the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.  As the debate rages in Washington over whether to make these cuts permanent to provide some economic certainty to taxpayers and small business owners to help create jobs, Crist is continuing to move closer and closer to the Democrat establishment in Washington, D.C., by erasing statements from his website such as “Charlie Crist supports making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent.”

Before opting out of the Republican primary, that’s exactly what Crist said he supported:

Charlie Crist supports making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent.  If given the opportunity, Charlie Crist will vote to make permanent tax cuts within individual income brackets, a permanent tax cut on capital gains, a permanent end to the unfair death tax and the end of the unfair marriage tax penalty.  Congress must act in an expeditious manner to make these tax cuts permanent.  Failing to do so will result in millions of Americans with higher income taxes, increased tax on their investment and increased taxes on their business.

Now a search of Crist’s campaign website turns up nothing on the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.  It turns up nothing on the death tax.  It turns up nothing on the marriage tax penalty.  It turns up nothing on capital gains taxes.  No explanation is given on this scrubbing; apparently, Crist hoped no one would notice.

If Crist has an explanation for these changes, he should offer it to voters along with the scrubbing.  Does he think that rescinding these tax cuts won’t result in higher tax bills, more taxes on investments, and a bigger burden on businesses?  Voters in Florida would probably like to hear that explanation.  Perhaps Crist feels it necessary to hike taxes rather than cut spending in order to address the deficit issue.  If so, Crist should make that argument, as have a few others with more courage than sense.

Instead, Crist simply scrubbed his website and hoped no one would notice.  That tells voters all they need to know about Crist.  If given the opportunity to be opportunistic, Crist will seize it every time, mainly because he is his own first principle.