More teabaggery

Maverick John McCain is going to have a primary challenger in 2010. Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth thinks that McCain just doesn't breathe enough fire so he'll try and replace him.  Apparently, the myth of moderate Maverick John McCain exists even within the Republican party, not just with the Washington press corps.

The moderate McCain vanished in about 2003 when he realized that there was no presumptive heir apparent for President Bush. Suddenly, McCain stopped attacking the Bush tax cuts and started embracing them as just the sort of thing we needed. Of course the highpoint of his embrace of Bush was...his embrace of Bush.

There was speculation that McCain would return to his alleged moderate roots after both he won the GOP nomination in 2008 and after he lost the general election.  Especially after his loss to Obama, there were rumors that he'd become an elder statesman and try to work with the new President. Instead, McCain is trying to make opposition to Obama the centerpiece of his reelection campaign with quotes like: "I stand in his way every day."

One upside of Brown's victory (even though it is mostly downside)  in Massachusetts is that it has embolden the tea party contingent to attack their own. Much like the Republican infighting in NY-23 helped Bill Owens win, primary battles like this one in Arizona and the gubernatorial battle in Texas will hamper GOP efforts to create a landslide in 2010.