Fortune magazine has profiles of John McCain and Barack Obama in it’s current issue, including their answers to a few interview questions.

Their responses underscore both Obama’s ability to use the language of freedom and individual responsibility to promote higher taxes and McCain’s ability to sound like he’s always ready for a fight over his bad ideas.

Two comments related to these tendencies caught my attention:

  • McCain – “The difference I have with the opponents of cap-and-trade is that they believe it will require greater sacrifice on the part of Americans. I think innovation and advanced technology are beneficial to the lives of American citizens and our economy. [Then the economic non-expert sees the future.] Long term, I do not believe we will see the price of oil come down permanently or dramatically.”
  • Obama – “So my instinct is that there are going to be technological breakthroughs that [lead to] declining energy prices over the long term. I think that the key is to make sure that if there are any short-term spikes in energy that we protect those who can least afford it. I think it’s a mistake to do it artificially – for example, by suspending the gas tax. I think that is a gimmick that will end up actually increasing our consumption of oil.

It’s impressive seeing in this short paragraph, in which he never mentions his support for cap-and-trade, what Jon Sanders has noted in Obama’s speeches. The truly sublime line comes when he contrasts his management style with George W. Bush’s: “I insist on the suppression of ego.” See how he manages to offer a vision of nirvana without explicitly saying that he only wants to suppress other people’s egos.