McCain Voted AGAINST the Bush Tax CutsMR. RUSSERT: Will we have to increase the size of the deficit in order to expand the military?SEN. McCAIN: Oh, I think there's one thing that's obvious about this, is that we are going have to ask for more money after the election, and it's going to increase the size of the deficit. And, again, maybe we're going to have to make some tough choices. You know, during the Vietnam War, they accused Lyndon Johnson of employing a strategy of guns and butter. Well, now we're employing the strategy of guns and pork. Look at the highway bill that had 3,000 pork-barrel projects on it, including bridges to nowhere in Alaska. So we're going to have to make some tough choices on--budgetary wise, too. We can't do everything we were planning on doing; otherwise Medicare goes broke, Social Security goes broke.Alan Greenspan, as you know, a couple of weeks ago said that we're going to have to change the benefit for retirees. Do you know a politician that's going to vote for that?MR. RUSSERT: Since the Civil War, every president who has been at war has increased taxes. Should the president consider postponing his tax cut?SEN. McCAIN: I would have--I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportionate amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit. But the middle-income tax credits, the families, the child tax credits, the marriage tax credits, all of those I would keep.[Meet the Press, 4/11/2004]