Grover Norquist: John McCain Flip-flops Too Much

Republican strategist Grover Norquist is blasting GOP presidential frontrunner John McCain, saying the Arizona maverick is a world-class flip-flopper when it comes to core Republican issues.

"What McCain has done is flip-flopped on the gun issue [and] on the tax issue," Norquist told ABC's "This Week." "He used to be a Reagan Republican on taxes. He's voted against every one of President Bush's tax cuts."

Norquist, who heads up Americans for Tax Reform, said the Arizona maverick has the same problem when it comes to environmental issues and campaign finance reform.

"He used to be a critic of [the] Kyoto [Accord], then he became a champion of Kyoto," Norquist told "This Week." "He used to have the correct policy opposing campaign finance reform before the Keating 5 scandal and then he became a champion of restricting First Amendment rights."

The influential GOP'er accused McCain of pandering for publicity, saying, "He's flip-flopped back and forth not because of where the American people are, but because of where the cameras are."

Norquist has been been feuding with McCain for years, and once referred to him as "the nut-job from Arizona." According to the New Republic, he's also described the Arizona GOP'er "a gun-grabbing, tax-increasing Bolshevik" who is "completely unstable."

McCain aide Mark Salter responded to the barbs by saying, "Grover couldn't be any closer to [disgraced lobbyist Jack] Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married."