McCain Shifts Opposition on Government Bailout of Insurance Giant

— -- Asked whether he agreed with the government bailout of insurance giant American International Group on today's "Good Morning America," Sen. John McCain answered ambiguously, in stark contrast to a Tuesday interview where he adamantly opposed it.

"I didn't want to do that. And I don't think anybody I know wanted to do that. But there are literally millions of people whose retirement, whose investment, whose insurance were at risk here," the Republican presidential nominee told ABC News' Robin Roberts, sounding somewhat accepting of the Fed's action on AIG.

"They were going to have their lives destroyed because of the greed and excess and corruption," McCain said.

But on Tuesday, the day following Lehman Brothers' collapse after the government declined to bail out the 158-year-old bank, McCain was opposed to the notion that the government should act to save AIG, teetering on the brink of collapse itself.

McCain was adamant in an interview with "The Today Show." "No, I do not believe that the American taxpayer should be on the hook for AIG, and I'm glad that the Secretary [Henry] Paulson has apparently taken the same line."

In a later segment, the senator and Cindy McCain were asked to clarify their positions on Roe v. Wade, after reports surfaced that Cindy McCain is not opposed to repealing the 1973 Supreme Court case that establishes the right to an abortion.

"I am pro-life and I support that position, and I know that Cindy does too," McCain said. If the case is overturned, McCain said it will "go back to the states and the states will make the decisions about it."

Pressed to address the CBS report where she said she didn't support the overturn of Roe v. Wade before calling it a "states issue," McCain turned the conversation to the economy.

"There are people that are without jobs, that are hurting, whose businesses have collapsed, who don't know where they're going to find money to feed their families. ... A difference in how we stand on abortion or things like that are not what's foremost in the voters' minds right now, at all," Cindy McCain said.

The economy remained the hot topic on the presidential trail as the Federal Reserve reversed itself late Tuesday and agreed to a $85 billion bailout of AIG, the country's largest insurance company.

McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama rushed fresh ads to the airwaves yesterday about the country's staggering economy, an issue that has been thrown into hyperdrive by the cascading Wall Street crises.

"Enough is enough," declared the McCain ad taped Tuesday during a 10-minute stop in Tampa, Fla. In the ad, the Republican candidate vowed "New rules for fairness and honesty. I won't tolerate a system that puts you and your family at risk. Your savings, your jobs -- I'll keep them safe."

Obama's ad about the recent financial calamities put the blame on Republican White House policies. "This isn't just a string of bad luck. The truth is that while you've been living up to your responsibilities, Washington has not," the two-minute spot concludes.