Straight talk on ethanol comes into political fashion

Without getting into the specifics as to which presidential candidate we'd rather answer that red phone, we heard this week possibly one of the least pandering positions on ethanol a non-Michigan office-seeker has ever given.
      Speaking at a campaign stop in Terre Haute, Ind., Sen. Barack Obama, himself from one of the biggest corn states, said ethanol is a "transitional" technology that shouldn't be expected to cure the nation's addiction to oil.
      "Corn-based ethanol is not optimal. I've been a big supporter of corn-based ethanol... It's a good transitional technology, but the truth is, it is not as efficient as what the Brazilians are doing with sugar cane," Obama said.
      No word yet as to whether the Senator would support any change to the $3 billion of ethanol subsidies the U.S. doled out last year, but he's got competition as far back as 2000, when youthful upstart Sen. John McCain called ethanol "not worth it because it does not help the consumer."
      Debating the GOP field in Des Moines, of all places, McCain said "Ethanol subsidies should be phased out, and everybody here on this stage, if it wasn't for the fact that Iowa is the first caucus state, would share my view that we don't need ethanol subsidies. It doesn't help anybody."
      If you're curious, McCain drew 5% of the vote in the 2000 Iowa Caucus, or, behind W., Steve Forbes, Alan Keyes, and this guy.