Carly Fiorina's fuzzy McCain-speak

On Monday, as she discussed healthcare, Fiorina veered from a discussion of Viagra -- never a good idea for a campaign surrogate -- and seemed to stake out a new stance for McCain.

"Let me give you a real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women. There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice," she said.

But as the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America was happy to point out, McCain twice voted against measures that would have required insurance companies to cover birth control -- in 2003 and 2005.

The Republican said Wednesday that he did not recall those votes. "It's something that I had not thought much about," he added.

A campaign aide who refused to speak by name said the Arizona senator opposed all mandates.

It is not the first time that Fiorina has taken some license with McCain's positions. Recently, Newsweek magazine reported, she told women in Columbus, Ohio, that McCain "has never signed on to efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade," the landmark Supreme Court decision confirming the right to abortion.

Actually, according to his campaign website: "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench."

The distinctions are important: Democratic strategists have long worried that McCain's reputation as a Republican maverick would mask his staunchly conservative views on issues such as abortion rights and birth control.

A recent survey conducted for NARAL confirmed that -- and suggested notable gains for Democrat Barack Obama when women learned of McCain's positions.