‘Change’ in Washington is needed in substance

THE ISSUE Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama both are calling for "change."

BOTH presidential campaigns are calling loudly for "change," but the candidate whose party has been in control of the White House for the past eight years and Congress for five has yet to explain what that means. Republican nominee John McCain avoided naming George W. Bush in his acceptance speech last week, but he has yet to significantly distinguish his policies from those of the sitting president.

Gov. Linda Lingle says McCain "represents the kind of bipartisanship that I believe America has to have." That willingness to side with Democrats on some issues has indeed earned McCain the reputation as a maverick in his 26 years in Congress.

Most recently, he cosponsored a comprehensive immigration bill and opposed Bush's proposal of tax cuts for the wealthy. However, in seeking support from the GOP's conservative base, he now says he would not sign the immigration bill into law and would let the Bush tax cuts stand.

The change now offered by McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, pertain to ethics and openness. Those are important, and both McCain and Palin have successfully pushed for reforms in those areas.

However, as the nation's jobless rate reaches its highest peak in five years, home mortgages are foreclosed, gas prices hover around $4 a gallon, the Iraq war continues and Osama bin Laden remains at large, voters want change in areas such as the economy, energy, taxes on the middle class, health care and the war on terrorism.

The changes, if any, that McCain has proposed are not significant. As the final weeks of the campaign proceed, McCain will need to show policy - not systemic - changes that voters can compare to those of Barack Obama to determine which candidate to support.