McCain was a maverick before he was not.

John McCain used to be pro-choice. He used to be against the Bush tax cuts. He used to be a thorn in the side of George Bush, taking one contrarian position after another. He used to be a maverick.

But now, he kowtows to the Bush base, the extreme right wing of the party, on every issue they hold dear. That’s not being a maverick, that’s just being another cheap politician who has sacrificed his integrity on the issues for political expediency. I would have more respect for him if he had decided to stick to his original maverick guns and “lose the election rather than give up my principles.”