MCCAIN'S AMBITION: I think it's interesting that the story Dana tells about John McCain's near-party switch gets so little attention (the general story of how McCain might have switched, that is, not the specific confirmation offered in today's Hill piece). It seems like a pretty big deal that the Republican front-runner almost switched parties, and yet I don't see the cable news and slick weeklies chewing it over much as the presidential race gears up. What I think the anecdote reveals about McCain, though, is pretty serious. If you look at his legislative record, as Jon Chait has pointed out, he veered sharply leftward in 2001-2002, and then just as sharply veered back. Clearly McCain is willing to make some pretty big compromises in his pursuit of power.
--Ben Adler
