Steve, if its Monday morning, it must be John McCain on Washington Monthly's Political Animal.

For somebody who rails against all the Sunday coverage McCain gets, you sure do spend a lot of time writing about him.

"Well, perhaps not 'anybody.'"

Oh, snap!

And if it's not McCain (père or fille), it's Rove, or Gingrich, or Cheney (again, père or fille). I think Democrats could make some political hay by pointing out that the Republican party is simply out of gas.

MattF makes a good point. Who are the go too guys in the Republican party. A cast of a dozen has beens and a few light weights like Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell. Where is the intellectual heft they used to bring. Where is the fire. All Frank Luntz talking points all the time has reduced Republicans to the party of No, no positive agenda and no clue.

Alert -- there's another missing negative modifier in a quote Steve uses:

When McCain faces a primary challenger and concludes, "I considered myself a maverick," there's a problem.

[Got it. Thanks. --Mod]

Off Topic :
SALON GONE? jes' askin
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Only a true maverick would deny being a maverick.

By the way, I'm not a maverick either.

Or am I?

He just told other people he was a maverick during the '08 campaign, he never said he believed what he was saying.

In the words of Inigo Montoya...

Yeah, it is Monday morning, and Always in Mourning Joe, as usual, treated his comments on FAUX concerning Iran with such gravitas. Mika nodded sagely. Geez, and, who was this Mullen fellow to spoil the party?

But by making a transparently ridiculous claim, McCain inadvertently has caused himself far more damage

Which transparently ridiculous claim?

That the U.S. economy was fundamentally sound?

Or.....that his campaign halting, D.C. grandstanding, during the financial crisis was for country first?

Or.....that Sarah Palin was the most highly qualified candidate out of Obama, Biden, and McCain?

Or.....that Palin is one of the country's foremost energy experts?

Or................

Maverick? I keep getting him confused. Was he Brett or Bart?

Shorter McCain: "I'm a Shape Shifter."

Meanwhile, the pew surveys show the kooky repubs message seems to be working... which means the democrats have to do better... which means running a guantlet between showing how great we are doing and beating up on the anti-gov message of the repubs... in that order...

as for mccain the faux mavrick should be treated as the member of tbe idle rich class he is... showing everything he does is the result an interest to protect his wealth.

McCain, all by his lonesome little self, did more damage to the U. S. war effort in Viet Nam than an entir platoon of NVA. He wasted five planes assigned specifically to him, along with the additional planes, lost lives, ordnance, and physical/structural damages wrought upon a U. S. N. aircraft carrier while on station.

So---give that man a cave, and call him John McQuaeda....

It really is very simple.

Mccain was against being a maverick (see Keating 5) before he was for being a maverick (see primary run 2000, then pissed off at Bush in 2002) before he was against being a maverick (hugging Bush on the steps of the White House) then well before he was being a Maverick (see 2008 Presidential campaign) before he was against being a maverick (see JD Hayworth)

Got it?

Wait, John McCain is happy to be called anything?

I bet the Tea Party crowd and others could come up with some interesting tests of that proposition.

The toast is finally done... I'll send him money to check into the Cindy McCain retirement home.

Way to throw away any few microscopic remains of credibility there John McLame!

As the Forrestall burned McCain had at least three opportunities to "fight" to help save his ship, his friends and the men of his squadron. Each time he ran away and actually fled the ship on a news helicopter that day.
He deserted a ship that was in flames with fuel and bombs exploding, he left his crew with out their leader, the deserted his post.

If you can remember the cartoon series "Grin and Bear It" by Litchey that used to run on editorial pages, you'll understand that the appropriate moniker for John McCain is "Senator Snort."

"Nurse, Sen. McCain has gone wandering again. Can you please help him get safely back to his room, and make sure he takes his meds? We'll have the doctor look in on him and see if he needs some adjustments."

It's a little sad that no one cares enough about this man to get him the care he so obviously needs. I guess that's what happens when you spend your life being an asshole.

I am tired of all you people bashing President McCain. As President he is allowed to change his mind as many times as he wants. Any previous positions (even if they are on video tape) do not count, only the current position.

bert, why do you keep watching that horrifying show? It just boosts your blood pressure and then you have to go get some nasty-ass socialized VA medicine to fix it. Aren't you worried that one of these days the Pentagon death panel will get you? There's nothing stopping them now since the Giant Package Ram-Through, you know.

MCCAIN: Well, look, when I was fighting against my own president...

There's some serious mavricky partisanship, right there.

Despite John McCain's defeat I still respect the man for staying true to who he is and his own personal point of view on things. I believe he is good for America.

Despite John McCain's defeat I still respect the man for staying true to who he is and his own personal point of view on things.

Bwa ha ha. True to who he is on what day? The personal point of view he holds at which hour?

The man's sole principle of conduct is "What do I think* will benefit me at this moment?"

*Not "what will," but "what do I think will" -- he's not particularly competent even as a whore.

Name one single thing that John McCain has done in his life that qualifies him as a "great American". Being captured by the NV does not count. Over 700 other men were were also prisoners of the VN war.

Marnie: Thanks for mentioning the U.S.S. Forrestall incident. What passes for media does not have the balls to question McCain about it or his time as a POW. Me, I care more about the 611 other returned POWs who more that I ever cared about McCain.

I wonder why these 611 former POWs and those who died in the POW camp are never acknowledged by McCain or the hacks in the so-called main stream media?

BTW, researching and learning about John McCain was a personal project of mine so I know all about him and have never been impressed.

Michael: "I believe he is good for America"

America what?

I believe that the Senator is suffering from dementia. He really can't remember positions that he has taken as evidenced by his voting against his own bills in the Senate. He couldn't remember the Maverick crap that he and Palin were constantly spewing forth.
He is old enough for retirement and that is what he should be doing now instead of running. Isn't there enough money in the bank for Cindy to send him to one of their houses and let him putt around and keep out of our lives? I just can't believe he could have been President.