McCain Derides Debt

In addition to his discussion of Social Security, John McCain discussed the problem of rising national debt at the AARP's Life@50 conference this weekend. McCain remarked that:

"We Republicans came... to change Washington and Washington changed us. We began to value power over principle; and we let this earmark and pork barrel spending and expansion of the size of government [occur] without paying for it. Look -- I'm not in opposition to any plan or program that fulfills the functions of government... But I am against laying the burden and the debt and the bankruptcy on future generations of Americans. Let's have some straight talk... we need to stop the unnecessary and wasteful spending. And if we expand government for necessary programs, pay for them. Restore some confidence back in the American people."