The bad press about corn ethanol over the last year may have made it seem dead in the water. But don't underestimate the power of the pander. Barack Obama, whose home state of Illinois is a major corn producer, has staunchly supported ethanol subsidies. McCain, on the other hand, has changed his tune on the issue numerous times.

Obama said in April of this year, "Look, I've been a strong ethanol supporter because Illinois ... is a major corn producer." Now, the The New York Times reports his arguments focus more on oil independence, saying that ethanol "ultimately helps our national security, because right now we’re sending billions of dollars to some of the most hostile nations on earth."

For his part, McCain has reversed his position, sometimes rapidly. In 2003, McCain said ethanol is "a product that would not exist if Congress didn’t create an artificial market for it," and that it does “nothing to reduce fuel consumption, nothing to increase our energy independence, nothing to improve air quality.”

By 2006, he had changed his tune as he ramped up his presidential bid: "I support ethanol and I think it is a vital, a vital alternative energy source not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse gas reduction effects."

During this year's October 15 presidential debate, he carried on this exchange with moderator Bob Schieffer:

MCCAIN: I know how to eliminate programs.

SCHIEFFER: Which ones?

MCCAIN: I have fought against -- well, one of them would be the marketing assistance program. Another one would be a number of subsidies for ethanol.

Finally, last Sunday before a crowd in Iowa (where he now trails by double digits), he told supporters "On the subject of ethanol, my friends, I will open every market in the world to the best products in the world, and that’s the American agricultural farmer and worker." Republican running mate Sarah Palin has also touted ethanol before Iowa crowds of late.

At the same time, the Illinois Corngrowers Association is pushing two studies that compare corn ethanol favorably to conventional gasoline.

Obama is clearly trying to parlay a state political necessity into a plank in his oil independence platform. McCain seems to be caught in the trap of trying to please two interest groups: Midwestern farmers and pork barrel budget cutters.

The upshot is that, much like the Star Wars program, even though it may seem wasteful, corn ethanol is likely not going anywhere soon.