NOTEWORTHY BECAUSE IS MAY BE THE FIRST ONE

The Press has sucked up to McCain in the past and that's disturbing for those of us who realize we cannot take 4 more years of GOP policies. There has been a LOT of evidence that McCain has flip-flopped, misled and frankly lied about his positions on many issues and that should cost him his reputation as a straight-talking maverick. This may be the first opinion piece to point that out.

McCain has diluted his rare reputation
By PAUL WEST WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
Baltimore Sun
June 15, 2008

It wasn't too many years ago that "maverick" was the cliche of choice in describing him.

But that term didn't even make the list this year when voters were asked by the Pew Research Center to sum up McCain in a single word. "Old" got the most mentions, followed by "honest," "experienced," "patriot," "conservative" and a dozen more. The words "independent," "change" or "reformer" weren't among them.

Voters have notoriously short memories, but it could be argued that McCain cheapened his own brand.

For many voters, his image today is as an outspoken defender of an unpopular war in Iraq and a supporter of Bush's economic policies, including the tax cuts that McCain voted against in the Senate but now promotes as a presidential candidate.