Is there a method to this maverick McCain message?

For a while now, the conventional wisdom has been that John McCain is sucking up to the right wing of the Republican Party in order to augment his chances of winning the nomination in 2008.

I guess I had bought into that sentiment, because this account of McCain slamming Bush on, of all issues, global warming with his buddy Ahhhnold in Cahleefohnhuh caught me by surprise.

McCain is quoted as saying that climate change is "now widely acknowledged to be a great threat to our planet, our children and our grandchildren," and he called Bush's record on the issue "terrible." That's not exactly pandering to the base of the GOP. Is McCain hoping that tooling around with the Terminator will make him seem more electable, or is this the return of the Straight Talk Express?

Although I am very skeptical about whether or not humans have anything to do with the apparent planetary warming trend, I do find myself respecting McCain for taking what may well be a principled stand rather than a calculated political move. Moreover, I think conserving resources and reducing emissions are good ideas regardless of how convinced I may or may not be that we're all of a sudden rapidly upsetting the delicate balance of Mother Earth. Is state or federal legislation the best way to do that? Again, skeptical.