Democrats Target McCain's "Straight Talk" Image

John McCain likes to portray himself as a straight talker.

Democrats have other ideas.

The Democratic National Committee has unveiled a new Web site called "McCain Debates," in which the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is shown debating...himself.

The DNC is looking to cast McCain as someone who, in the words of CBS News Chief Political Consultant Marc Ambinder, is "beholden to whichever partner he is bringing to the dance."

And it must be thrilled with its timing: Just as the DNC unveiled this site, the New York Times ran a story detailing how McCain, who presently casts himself as a Ronald Reagan-style conservative, may have considered (1) leaving the Republican Party in 2001 and (2) becoming Democrat John Kerry's running mate in 2004.

The McCain Debates site, which is here, plays snippets of comments from the candidate that seem to contradict each other. (For good measure, the site's creators also repeatedly throw in an image of President Bush giving a thumbs-up gesture.) The site is presently focused on Iraq, and the first two exchanges are below. It's important to note that the DNC provides little-to-no context:

ROUND 1: DO YOU THINK SADDAM IS A THREAT?

"I believe that Saddam Hussein presents clear and present danger to the United States of America with his continued pursuit of...to acquire weapons of mass destruction." – CNN Late Edition, 03/03/2002

"I never said that it was a, quote, clear and present danger because of weapons of mass destruction." – Hardball, 09/17/2003

ROUND 2: WILL SUCCESS BE EASY?

"The success will be fairly easy." – CNN Larry King Live, 09/24/2002

"Again, I don't think it's, quote, easy." – CNN, 09/29/2002