Top 6 Political Indecisions of 2012

— -- intro: After a long time in the field, politicians sometimes say things that contradict their earlier opinions, and the 2012 election is no exception to that. Here, by our count and in no particular order, are the top six political indecisions on key issues from this presidential election season.

quicklist: 1title: Obama on Gay Marriageurl:http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/obama-term-president-solyndra-14659452text:In 2008, Obama opposed Proposition 8, a ballot that eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, but he also said in an interview with MTV, "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage." Obama recently said the passage of gay marriage in New York is a "good thing," standing behind his statement that his views are "evolving."On October 3, 2011, the president restated his confusion in an exclusive ABC News Interview. George Stephanopoulos asked him, "You think you'll change your mind before the election?" Obama replied, "You know-- I-- I'm-- I'm-- still working on it."media:14652015

quicklist: 2title: Romney on Abortionurl:http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3453601&page=1text:Throughout the 2008 election, Mitt Romney advocated overturning Roe v. Wade. In this cycle, too, he calls himself pro-life, but he didn't always feel this way.

In 1994, when running for the Senate against Ted Kennedy, he said, "I believe abortion should be safe and legal in this country." In 2002, during his bid for the Massachusetts governorship, Romney vowed to "preserve and protect a woman's right to choose."

Recently, this presidential hopeful prompted questions again as he has announced that he won't sign the Susan B. Anthony's List Pro-Life Presidential Pledge, which five other Republican contenders -Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum - agreed to sign.

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quicklist: 3title: Republicans on Carbon Emissionsurl:http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/environmental-divide-gop-candidates-spar-climate-change/story?id=14343420text: As the governor of Utah, Huntsman pushed for cap-and-trade policies to limit carbon emissions. He even appeared in a 2007 Environmental Defense Action Fund television ad urging Congress to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

But as a presidential candidate, Huntsman has backed away from supporting cap-and-trade."It hasn't worked," Huntsman said in a May 2011 interview with Time, "and our economy's in a different place than five years ago." Until it recovers, Huntsman said, "This isn't the moment" to push for cap-and-trade.

Romney and Perry also contradict each other on this issue.

Rick Perry's new campaign video, Romney and Obama – Carbon Copies compares Mitt Romney to Obama and criticizes the former's efforts to lower carbon emissions.

This video points out that Romney once said, "I will not create jobs or hold jobs that kill people," outside a coal plant in 2003.

Perry said in a speech, "In Texas, we've cleaned the air while creating jobs and adding millions in population." He further condemns Romney by claiming, "Another state — Massachusetts — was among the first states to implement its own cap-and-trade program which included limits on carbon emissions for power plants."

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quicklist: 4title: Perry on Immigrationurl:http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/rick-perry-and-the-republican-bind-on-immigration/text: Rick Perry's views on immigration are confusing. In 2001, Perry previously passed a bill providing illegal immigrants who have lived in Texas for three years with in-state tuition rates at public universities. At a debate this September, the Texas governor accused opponents of this initiative of having "no heart."

He recently took back that allegation and disputed the federal DREAM Act. He upheld that this issue should be left to the states.media:14353696

quicklist: 5title: Obama on Guantanamo Bayurl:http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/guantanamo-bay-executive-order-sends-mixed-signals/story?id=13086929 text:Closing the Guantanamo Bay prison was one of the first promises that Obama announced over two years ago when he took office.

Now, Obama wants to avoid appearing as though he's backing away from his original promise to close Guantanamo. However, he ordered the resumption of military commissions for accused terrorists in March and issued an executive order for indefinite detention providing for a periodic review of those detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

While Obama refrains from shifting the spotlight to the Guantanamo Bay issue, detainees are still waiting for trials.media:14558940

quicklist: 6title: Romney on Healthcareurl:http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mitt-romney-defends-massachusetts-health-care-criticizes-obamacare/story?id=13590602text: President Obama praised Mitt Romney for the healthcare bill he signed into law in Massachusetts and even consulted with the former governor's advisers to create his own bill. Romney says Massachusetts' bill does not raise overall healthcare costs.

However, he strongly opposes Obamacare and believes that each state should decide on particular solutions. He contends that the federal government should not play a role in making these decisions.

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